Polly Pearson's Blog

What Does Branding Have to do with Culture, or *Gasp* Human Resources?

I scratch my head to this day that my professional life currently sits at the intersection of  brand, culture and human resources.  How did a business-centric, brand relations pro get caught up in HR?

Luck, mostly.  But I'm convinced that those three elements, together, are key to making a major impact in the modern organization. With social-everything, the power of your company brand is in the hands of "the people" more than ever. Are your people and your culture included in your brand strategy? They better be.

Branding, and what your brand shouts, needs to start in the heart of your organization.

 

Really?

I was delighted to see a post this week in FastCompany.com called, "Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch" by Shawn Parr ("The Guvner & CEO of Bulldog Drummond,") which outlines how the skills and disciplines of each of these areas come together to make magic.

I've been involved in big brand work both with, and without, the people/culture/HR side of the equation as part of the strategy. When the "brand people" alone were involved, we could show the optics of success, but the emotions of the people never came along for the ride. That oversight set us up for years of pain internally, and years of "two-or three-sides-to-the-story" in front of customers.

The next time I addressed the brand subject in a big, concerted, way, I was involved from the inside, in a Total Customer Experience role that bridged both marketing, business analytics folks, and human resources, and looked at our behavior from the eyes of the customer. This also brought great results, and won back a ton of business -- but, candidly it wore the cloak of a corporate initiative more than it wore the sustained cultural fabric of passion. Like most corporate initiatives, it started with a bang, and wore on over time.

The third time was a charm, and personal favorite. It focused on the people of the company, and enabled them to BE the brand.  Human Resources, Marketing and Passionate Employees Everywhere had the big seats at the table for this work. The approach took significantly fewer budget dollars, was more fun (even for the customers, prospects, and potential employees) and continues to offer sustainable, visible impact. Unlike a classic corporate initiative, this approach starts nicely, and grows sweeter over time.

Brand always begins on the inside.  The smart companies, IMHO, take the time to embrace that reality.

Suggestion:  Elevate your brand by getting to know your true brand first. The one your employees either praise or swear at. Include your employees in your vision and brand goals.  Then enjoy it as THEY make it theirs, and make it happen with more glory than your millions can buy.

 

--------------- TALK BACK ------------------

Any great brand building tips or strategies for the new era from you?

Serendipitously enough, as I was image searching for a photo to add to this post, I found this blog post, "Culture Isn't Enough," on the same subject by the fascinating Denise Lee Yohn.  Excellent read.

 

-- Polly Pearson
@PollyPearson
pearson_polly@gmail.com

Are You Speaking "CEO-Speak" or "Functional Jargon?" Learn to RAP.

When you present what you're attempting to accomplish at work, do you discuss it in terms that the CEO would care about? 

 

Come on now, does s/he really care about getting you more headcount, or performance management, succession planning, learning & development agendas, corporate culture ...  or employment branding for that matter? Yes, and no.  Mostly, those topics are boring. Necessary evils. 

When talking about your important little program, expect the CEO to listen, nod, and smile politely  -- while s/he secretly can't wait for you to leave the room so they can get to work on the truly important things.  Like closing deals which will generate revenue. Or consulting with the folks who help enhance the company's profit margins. Or doing media interviews. Or reading positive press about the company. Or delighting in an "up" day for the company stock.  See a pattern here?

You know what the CEO really cares about?

I boil it down to three things:

Growing ...

    1. Revenue

    2. Admiration 

    3. Profit

RAP for short.

Now, admiration may look like an odd one in the mix.  When I think of admiration, I think of everything that can help build the value, and perceived value, of the company. (Public company CEOs have a top goal of improving shareholder value; they also generally have egos which drive them to win -- and a stock price is a VERY public score card.) While it would be gauche for a CEO to admit it, they love to get admiration from their industry peers, employees, customers, shareholders, competitors, and next door neighbors.  They need not be shy about this desire.  All that admiration is contagious, and it works to build the brand, the value, and start the next funnel of revenue generation.

Are you playing the admiration card enough?  Subtly of course, but don't forget to include it on your "TO DO" list if you want to impress the boss and do something that matters to those concerned with building value, or perceived value, of the company.

Building admiration generally happens from the "outside-in." (Are you too internally focused?) It can involve getting awards, positive media attention, best practice case studies, keynotes, analyst upgrades, and competitive wins.

So if you're working to "get a seat at the big table," or trying to get your pet initiative off the ground, remember to RAP it, if you want to get the attention of the CEO.

-------------------- TALK BACK ---------------------------

Of all the presentations you saw this week, how many tied the goal back to what needs to be done for the bottom line health and vitality of the business?

I spent 15 years working directly for FORTUNE 500 CEOs. Maybe it was just the ones I worked with, but I saw what got their juices flowing, and what didn't.  And let me tell you this, they LOVED it when the value of their company was higher than their number one competitor.

If you happen to be in the C-suite and could use more help in the RAP department, contact me.  Helping CEOs and Companies become bigger than they really are in the eyes of the world is my favorite thing to do.

 Thanks for reading and engaging.

Polly Pearson, Pearson Advisory
http://www.pollypearson.com
email: pearsonpolly@gmail.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter

The Seasons of Your Career

In Belize a few of years ago, I was at a retreat with women who had obtained a certain level of professional success. A core part of the retreat consisted of short presentations by the member community, held on a beach under a palm tree hut.

One such presentation has stayed with me. It offered insight I had not yet stumbled upon in my career. It came from a woman who had successfully started, and sold, many businesses. She sat on elite Boards. She was the vision of confidence and success.

She began by pointing out that most of us were likely in a go-go-growth career stage. And then she said, "It won't always be like that, but that's okay. You will find that your career has seasons. It won't -- it can't --  always be all growth, all the time."

 

She told a story of selling a business, and then her husband falling on ill health. Her girlfriends tried to pry her out of the house with Martini's, and instructions to "Take some Valium and get on with it!" (You can guess her approximate age by that statement!)  She did not however, and that was the point.

She said that Spring needs to be followed by Fall, and Winter, to get Spring again. She said it is important to "feel" these seasons as they happen and know that they are perfectly natural.

"Wow," I remember whispering to myself.

It makes so much sense, doesn't it? We're organic creatures. And yet, how is it possible that this isn't core wisdom in the world of work?

I suspect it is because we're all raised to continually move up, like rungs on a ladder. Be more. Get more. Better grades, better placement on the team. Promotions. Manager, leads to Director, which leads to Vice President, and onward, right?

 Now that I'm almost half-way through my 40's, I see career pauses everywhere. (Fabulous women in the mom-zone are especially vulnerable.) And it seems everyone is always FREAKED out about it.

If you're in that boat, take a breath. You're a living creature. Things are always changing. You can get back on the race horse at any moment.  But even race horses need a rest now and then.

------------------ Talk Back ------------------

Make sense?

I was inspired to share this story by my mom.  She has been writing our family history lately, and took particular pride sharing a short story she wrote about her father. It was the "Great Depression,"and he was a Jukebox repairman. She wrote of her childhood with him, the twirly stools she sat on eating pastries in the "joints" he'd have to visit, and the rolls of coins he would give her. He was a king beyond words in her eyes.

She never once wrote of his life before the Depression.  His full-length fur coats, his bachelor year of residence in the swankiest hotel in Boston. His thriving career as a stock broker.

No, she cherished what he must have thought of as his own winter deep freeze.

What's your Career Season story?

Was there a rainbow, following the storm?

Has your company supported career seasons?

Thanks for reading and engaging.

Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter

Are Business Cards Still Relevant? How?

Rose King of Bschool.com sent me a nice email today, suggesting I share a recent Bschool.com post which includes links to dozens of cool new takes on the business card.  I enjoyed looking at each of them. (Thanks Rose!).  My favorites from the list provided by Bschool.com was the Card Deck card, the translucent card, and the card with the photo a cool story about the person being "advertised."

Design for design-sake is fun, but what about utility of the old networking standby?

How do you USE business cards (not give out, but use the ones you get?)

When I was 21, I started my own business.  I created what I thought were the coolest business cards ever. They cost a fortune, had a fold-over design element, and looked gorgeous.  But did they matter? Were they worth the cost? I don't think so, in retrospect. 

In the Corporate HQ world on the "buying" side, I witnessed little value assigned to business cards given out, beyond helping those around the conference table remember the names of the other people in the meeting. Mind you, that was very useful! 

The best business card I ever saw had its value, not from what was printed on it, but from the personal gesture the owner made by writing his home phone number on the back of the card. He was a CEO, and wanted his customers to know how important they were to him, and how available he would be for them.

Before eager B-school grads, I, or anyone else spends time and effort on a cool new card, could you help answer the question on business card use, and value,  .... in today's world?

I'd love your take.

 How do you use business cards? (Not give them out, but USE them.)

Are they still relevant in the way you work, and hire people?

What is an ideal business card to hand to people who generally lose them, who get too much email, and who may or may not be active in the social media world?

A friend of mine re-set my perspective on business cards recently when she said, "I don't give them out in a networking setting any more. I share my name, and something to remember me by. They can Google me, and find me a lot faster than looking for a card."

Humm. 

That said, I'm tempted to get some new cards made. Some people still like to get them, as do I -- I just don't tend to be good at SAVING the cards in a useful manner, or USING them at all. You?

I'd love your take.

----------------- Talk Back -----------------

If you were to create the ideal business card from the perspective of having the card be USEFUL to you, (as the recipient). and ACTIONABLE to you (the recipient), what would your input be for the creation of a great card?

And if you're in the design, or business card business and would like to experiment on me, I'd welcome your help and insight as well!

 Thanks for reading and sharing. 

Polly
www.pollypearson.com; @PollyPearson on Twitter.

 

 

 

CAREER: Preparing for "What's Next."

Readers of this blog know that I recently left my place of work -- after 20 years! 

How did that happen?

Why did that happen?

Is this a good thing?

The root of this change happened in 2006, four years ago, nearly to the day. I had just returned to work from a 6 month maternity leave.  

The company was still recovering from the recession of 2002/2003 and things inside were a bit weird.  New lines of business, new executives brought on board, and, for me, a new job.  The company had asked me to take on a new role, in HR, to help with "Strategy Engagement."  The new job was in response to all this change. 

CONTEXT: So much had changed in the market, and at the company, that the employees (and executives) themselves were often saying they didn't have a strong sense -- or connection with -- the direction of the company.  NOTE: we had just acquired 30+ companies, and half of the workforce -- including the executive staff -- was new to the company in the prior 18 months.

If I was suddenly put on the sidewalk, "I would be okay, but sad."

During the Fall of 2006, I remember thinking that if something out of my control happened to the company (we could be acquired, too), or to me (new executives inevitably come with 're-orgs'), and I found myself on the sidewalk ... I would be okay, but sad.  I realized that I had built my entire professional identity as part of EMC.  All my networks were either inside of EMC's walls, or were built based on my status as an executive with EMC.

What if there was no more EMC? What if?

I realized at that moment, that I needed to protect myself from that and start building a Plan B, or simply build more options so that I would be happy, rather than sad, if my time at EMC were to come to an end.

What did I do next?

I've long had a career goal to sit on a Board of Directors.  It is just about the only job at EMC that I did not have a clear view into, yet it involved every aspect of the company that I had been helping others analyze during all the years I spent in investor relations.

I began reading up on Boards, and when I saw a program happening at a reputable college titled something like "On becoming a Board Member,"  I signed up.  It was October of 2006.

After the program, I went up to the front of the room to introduce myself to the speaker.  I handed her my card and before I could even say what was on my mind, she said, "We should have lunch some day." (Think: The Attraction Factor, or The Secret)

We got together the following month for lunch. We shared our professional stories and discussed goals, and what it was like being among a very short list of women executives in male-dominated areas of business.  (Perspective for another post!). We connected.  She then said I might be interested in getting to know a group of successful women, from around the world, mostly in their 40's who share career perspectives, business goals, and drink a fair amount of wine when they get together.  ("Where do I sign up?!," I remember thinking.) 

Soon after, this speaker made a virtual introduction of me, to a member of the "group."

Thus began my journey to readiness. 

This ("by invitation only") group of women would become my "safe" sounding board, a fertile ground for collaboration, and a rich source of professional growth -- and professional opportunities.  The local group gets together for dinner every 6 weeks or so. The national organization gets together twice a year, generally in South America, and New York City.

Since I joined, I have done countless trust- and friend-based business with other members.  Examples: book collaboration, speaker at events, guest blog posts, media quotes, guest teacher to college classes. All of this has built both my brand, and EMC's brand.  It has been GREAT for ALL.

I Knew The Plan Was Working When ...

Over a year ago, the woman who introduced me to the group had a business snag with EMC.  When someone asked her, "Why didn't you connect with Polly?,"  she replied, "Oh! I forgot Polly worked for EMC!"

I was very proud of that moment. For me, it was when my brand had become separate or distinct  from my employer in the eyes of a professional community.

And last Thursday, at a long-scheduled get together with the local group, I was greeted with Champagne and Cheers for my next chapter.

My "What's Next" NET:

"How did that happen?":  I planned for it.

"Why did that happen?":  I was ready for it.

"Is this a Good Thing?":  Yes.

---------------- Talk Back ------------------

Do you plan for a "what could be next?" 

If so, how?

How long have you been thinking along those lines?

Are you leveraging networks outside your place of work? There are tons of great ones -- BNI, for example, or, for savvy women, TheDowntownWomen'sClub.com.

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson on Twitter
pearsonpolly@gmail.com

------------- Talk Back ---------------

My Good-Bye To EMC

For my co-workers that I did not get around to sharing a personal farewell to, and anyone else interested ... following, below, is what I sent around EMC as my good-bye note about a week ago. 

I actually wrote the essence of this story as well here on my blog in 2007, as one of my first posts.  It is a good story, though, as it shares an unexpected route to one person's career path mojo:

(Stay tuned for posts with stories and tips you might want to steal on "planning for your future" and "managing your exit." After that, I'll continue to share thoughts on the Social/21st Century Transformation in the workplace -- and the building of my new venture.)

PS: I am not gone from EMC in all ways.  The EVP of HR has asked me to consult for the company, and I am able to help other organizations, inside and outside of EMC, in this regard as well.

------------------

Twenty years ago, on a hot day in August, I went to interview at an unknown company located in an ugly brown strip mall of a building, located in a little town I had never even driven through. I thought they made cardboard boxes for computers, but no matter, it was an opportunity for me to break into "PR!"

 
I asked the hiring manager, "Why are you looking to hire someone in PR?"
 
The reply, "We're about to miss the quarter. We have terrible quality problems in the marketplace. And, we're about to have a lay off, too.  When we saw you came from an ad agency, we figured you would work out.  We'll teach you the PR and tech stuff, and get you to be our in-house agency for any ads we need to place.  We figure that 10% agency placement savings will cover your twenty-five thousand dollar salary, and we could use the PR help, too, especially as we ramp up this new product we have called a Symmetrix."
 
On my first day of the job, as badge #573, I was escorted all around the HQ, at 171 South St. I met Dick. I met Frank. I met Fitz (all of them!). It seemed the entire company fit on South Street.
 
A week or so later, Dick Egan wrote his last news release for EMC. It contained just one sentence. Something like, "EMC will not make its third quarter, ending September 30, 1991."  There was no reason why. No estimates for what we might deliver.  Nothing.
 
Next thing I know, it was requested that I go see Dick in his office.  He sat behind a tin desk, and had a slab of wood sitting on top of two tin filing cabinets for his credenza.  His desk was bare (no PC), but for a pencil, a legal-sized yellow pad of paper, and a stack of pink message slips.
 
He gave me a devilishly large smile, slid the message slips across the desk and asked me to return the calls.  They were all from irate investors.  That is how the "official" investor relations function started at EMC.  That is how a 24 year-old young woman got the launch-pad of a lifetime.
 
I've had a tremendous ride at EMC in Advertising, PR, IR, Finance, Marketing, HR, and back to Marketing again.  It is also time for me to move on, and share the knowledge I've gained at EMC and elsewhere, with more of the world. 
 
I am honored to have made this journey with all of you. You always have a friend in Polly Pearson.
 
And now that I have no conflict of interest between EMC and "my other business,"  I encourage you all to go to the 1790 Restaurant and Tavern OFTEN. Buy the most expensive bottles of wine (CFO) David Goulden allows, and bring every customer that visits us in Massachusetts to the only restaurant in the area that genuinely cares for all of you like family.  :)
 
I'll be setting up shop "upstairs at the 1790" under my name.  I'll be writing, speaking, and consulting on The Networked Organization, Employment Branding, Social Media, and the Transformation of Work in the 21st Century.  I'll also be hanging out in my new "cabin" at Lake Sunapee, NH, feeling grateful for the time I have spent working with you, on behalf of EMC.  I couldn't have planned a better exit, at a better time for everyone.
 
All my love,
 
Polly
 
New Contact:
EMAIL: pearsonpolly@gmail.com
WORK:  208 Turnpike Road, Westborough, MA 01581
BLOG:  www.pollypearson.com
 

Polly Pearson

FREE AGENT

------------- TALK BACK ----------------------

Any thoughts on an ideal "good-bye note?"  I thought for a couple of seconds of what to write, and remembered that everyone likes a good story.  For my note, I decided to tell the story about the beginning.  For those that know EMC, or our gregarious motivator and Founder, Dick Egan, and the ultimately uber-successful company he brought to life, it should read rather humorous.  

Regarding "my other business,"  this is actually my husband's place of work. We own it. He runs it.

The restaurant is in a "gentleman's mansion," circa 1790. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and the craftmanship found on its 7 fireplaces, also earned it a place in the Smithsonian archives.  My husband has been involved with this business since he came back from Vail in the early 1980's. When I was a teenager, I actually worked there as well on Saturday nights, "manning" the coat closet!  (You see, I never really LEAVE my place of work, only return to it in different ways!)

"Upstairs" there are offices. The front corner office is now mine.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter

A Dream Come True

About a month ago, my colleague, fellow EMC blogger, and frequent collaborator, Steve Todd, swung by my office. "Free for lunch?"  He said.

As we finished our salads, and talked about his next book, and my projects, I made a deep sigh and said, "Steve I have something to tell you. It is going to sound really weird."

"Oh, Oh," he said, "What?"

"I had a dream last night I was going to leave EMC.  It was going to happen in my 20th year.  Steve, that's coming up in a few weeks."

His long, lanky arms hit the table with a thud.

"You've got to be kidding me,"  he said.

"I know. I know.  It sounds crazy in every way. I've had a few of these dreams over the years though, and they've almost always come true."  I then gave him a few examples. 

FAST FORWARD to last Friday ....

I got an email from Steve around 5:30pm, about some work he is doing for EMC in Russia. I replied, saying, "Are you home from vacation yet? I have news."

"I just got home. What is it?" he wrote.

I told him I was heading to dinner at my husband's restaurant, the 1790, and to meet me there with Katy (his wife), if he wanted, and I could share the news then.

A New Venture

In the back tavern, over some nice red wine, with my husband Kurt sitting next to me, I told Steve & Katy the news. I was leaving EMC, and starting my own venture -- speaking, writing and consulting on The Networked Organization, Employment Branding, Employee Engagement, Workplace of the 21st Century, and the Social Media dynamic on Leadership and Organizations.

I smiled at Kurt and Katy and said, "Steve was the only one at EMC who knew this was coming.  We had lunch about a month ago and I told him it could happen."

"Your dream," said Steve.

"Huh?" I replied.

"Remember, you had a dream."

I had frankly forgotten all about the actual "dream" part. The memory jolted back. I then smiled a "woman vindicated" smile, and sat back. "Whoa," I said.

So there it is, a dream come true. 

... more to come ... stay tuned.

------------ Talk Back ------------

For many of my readers, that might be a bit to digest.

I'll fill in the pieces more in the days and weeks ahead, including how, exactly, it all went down.  There will be tips in there for how to make an exit your dream come true as well.

And let me be clear about one thing, this move is not about EMC.  EMC has never been a stronger or better company -- look at the blow out earnings we reported just yesterday.  This move is about me, and my being ready to take the next move, have a broader platform, help more organizations, and be able leverage the high-speed wired world where I can do my craft at a Lake House in New Hampshire, from my new office in Westborough, MA, or just about anywhere else.

CONTEXT: Jack Mollen, EMC's EVP of HR, shared with me his view (visionary, I think) for the workforce of the future a few years ago.  (I think I blogged about it here). I call his vision that of a "Fluid Workforce" -- one that could easily move inside and outside of organizations -- one that leveraged social networks, like LinkedIN, to build those paths that lead to fluidity -- one that enabled seamless shifts for the workers and didn't leave them, or the company, in shock, when the time had come to make a change.

That's it for now -- busy setting up the new office, computer, and all that.

Cheers!

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter

pearsonpolly@gmail.com

Life Chapters

Kurt and I celebrated 23 years of marriage this month.

Generally on our anniversary, we're at the ocean and hunting art galleries for a painting to buy as an anniversary gift to each other.

This year we did all that, and a card arrived to. 

He said, "I know we usually don't do the card thing. But read this one."

It says,

"I love anticipating the days ahead of us, wondering what we'll find in each other, in ourselves, before another year has slipped away ...and, best of all, I love being with you where we are today, together writing the pages we'll remember tomorrow."

When I read this on July 11th, it had great meaning.  Kurt and I had finally made the leap and made an offer on a second home.  One dedicated to "making memories" with our kids -- ages 5, 8 and 15.  We close on the house on July 27th.

More than a few times in the process of looking for this property Kurt would say, "You know I'll be 54 this year, I'm looking for a place where I can ..."  While he never said the word "retire" straight out, it was clear he had the concepts of "relax more, enjoy my family more, breathe" on his mind. He's been working for the same company (his family's business, and now his own) essentially since he came of age. He's ready to change the pace, and start enjoying more of what life has to offer. And so am I!

In the weekends we took with the kids to look for this new house, a bonding began to happen among them that wasn't there before.  Sure, they had always played with each other, but this was different. They began to "intertwine."  They would wrap arms and legs around one another and cuddle on couches, in car seats, in hotel rooms, and back at our house. They would giggle more. Splash more. Hug more. 

 

We're giddy about this new chapter of life to come.

-------- Talk Back ----------

So you likely like/love our job, your profession, and your family. When is the right time to say,

"Time to rethink the balance of attention?"

"Time to rethink saving for some time in the future, and think 'life?'"

For Kurt & I, the time is now.  Sophie, while 15, still wants to be with us. Nothing high maintenance about her. Margo and Oscar, of course, love to be with the family more than anything.  They refer to the concept of "weekends" as "family days" and count down each week to when "family days" begin.

My mom keeps telling me that "the 40's" are the best years -- the time at the prime of your life when you have it all together.  I think she means confidence, health, and the centered knowing of why you are on this Earth.  She has insisted, for as long as I can remember, that I change gears by the time I'm 50, because, she says, "When you're over 50, you just won't have the energy you have in your 40's, and your kids need some of that too."

So here goes, the next life chapter begins ...

Polly Pearson
-- http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter

How Do You Inspire, Win Hearts, and Dare we Say it, "Sell?"

The Untapped Business Opportunity of "Emotion."

I happened to have lunch yesterday with Barry Burke, an EMC Chief Technology Strategist, blogger, and overall communication/presentation pro, and we got on the subject of the role of emotions in decision making.   Think OPPORTUNITY. Think "information and technique" that they don't teach readily schools, or in most places of business.

(Personally, I became convinced of the power of emotion in decision making -- even multi-billion dollar decisions -- when I ran EMC's Investor Relations function in the 1990s.)

Barry lit up on the subject, and referenced a recent post he made on it with regard to using this knowledge for effective presentations.  To support his epiphany, he shared this TED video -- which I am now shamelessly ripping off.

Watch it. Then examine a recent connecting/inspiring/selling communication opportunity you had recently. 

Now ask yourself if there is anything you might change, by way of approach, to elevate the connection you could have with your audience?

PS:  I got invited to my first TED today, taking place in Boston.  Color me excited.

----------------------- Talk Back ---------------------------

What research or anecdotes do you have to prove, or disprove this "science" as the speaker, Simon Sinek, called it?

I was captivated when reading a book, a year or so ago, by Michael Lee Stallard called, "Fired Up or Burned Out," when Michael pointed to this same unbalanced-for-results, left brained/right brained behavior in business communication with employees. 

As Michael pointed out, most FORTUNE 500 execs are the data-driven type.  They talk to you in data terms. They tell you what to do.  BUT, most decision making is done on an emotional level.  When we share "why" we want to do things, and let our people help figure out "what" to do to meet the "why's" objective, everyone will be better for it.  When we show people we CARE (here we go with that "warm," soft-stuff-at-work I keep evangelizing), we work to build connection and trust ... which fuels "hard,"and wonderful business results.

Yes? No?

Thanks for engaging.

-- Polly
@pollypearson on Twitter
http://www.pollypearson.com

Career Tip to Get Ahead

Do you feel stuck, or under appreciated, in your job?

Have you ever been passed by for a promotion?
Ever wonder what it really takes to get ahead?

Then, read this post written by EMC's Chuck Hollis.

When you're done, come back. Let's talk about it.

---------------- Talk Back -----------------

Did some if it ring true for you?  How so?

When I address the new hires at EMC, some of my favorite tips for success here are:

1.  If you see an opportunity to do something, do it. 
Either ask permission (chances are they will say "yes,") or, be prepared to ask forgiveness later.

2.  Look for things to take off your boss's desk.
Do the job, and look for what else you could do to help your boss, and the Company exceed goals.

3.  Remember, that when you're in the lead, there are no rule books.
Leaders, and leading companies, are figuring it out, and moving fast, every day.  If you think something could be done better, don't assume there was a big decision to do it the way it is being done.  It could just be that a) no one has thought of your idea before, or b) no one took the time to advocate that it be done in a better way.  If you're passionate about a new idea -- work to make it happen. What you see as an opportunity likely aligns with your passions and strengths -- and could just lead you to the job of your dreams.

****

I couldn't help but think of these tips as I read Chuck's post today.  I loved his ending about holding up the mirror, as well.  Makes me think of a line that Joe Tucci once said in an off-handed way shortly after he became CEO of EMC. 

"Everyone keeps looking up [for the decision, or action], when they could just look in the mirror."

Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes ... and Social Media Activity

Feel free to hit "play" on this video below while you read this blog. It is cheerful and will get you smiling, and your head nodding.  :)

I was honored to keynote the Northeast Human Resources Association Spring Conference today. I spoke on the transition in play in the world and the opportunity that the social media behavior and tool phenomenon represents for business, and the careers of everyone in the room.  

The conference organization committee asked me to spend a few minutes up front explaining why social media was important, in tandem with the conference theme, "Connection, Collaboration, and Communication." I chose to use this video, "Did You Know?" as a way to convey that as much as many people would just like this entire social media thing to go away ... it won't.

My first slide after showing the video was to acknowledge the feelings of many people -- and many companies, today.  It read, "Do I have to?"  I then shared 3 brief "WIFFY's"  -- What's in it for you's.

1.  Career Relevance.

2. TTM Leadership Opportunity

3. Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes.

POINT 1-- Career Relevance

I referenced the dawn of websites.  Do you remember when your company did not have a website?  It was okay not to have one in 1996, 7, and maybe even 1998 when Amazon.com became a darling of the world -- but come on!  By 2,000, if you didn't have a website you didn't exist.

The same thing is happening today with social networks.  It is okay to ignore it for only so long. Soon ... really, really soon, at the rate this thing is changing the world, people will be talking to you like a grandmother if you don't "get it."

POINT 2-- Which brings me to "Time to Market Leadership Opportunity"

I believe we are at an awesome and rare time in the world where if you grasp this change we are in the midst of, you could immediately catapult perception of yourself (and your business) into that of a leader -- beyond whatever leader status you have today.  Someone once said a year or so ago that if you only know social media norms to the 1 percent mark, you can still look like a genius to others. Maybe today, you have to get it to the 25% mark -- but still. You get the point. Getting smarter in this space is fairly easy and fast to do.  Faster than any degree or certification program, I can assure you.  What is requires, mostly, is your deciding to do it.  The faster the better.  Today, if you have the courage and can take a few barbs, you can soon be seen as a leader.  A year or two from now, you will be like those companies who decided to put up a website around 2,000.  Can you say laggard?

POINT 3 -- Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes

Amazing things happen, from the air, and from right underneath your feet when you start to embrace social media.  I joke that it feels like Christmas every week.  Unexpected gifts simply arrive my way. People find your blog, they find your tweets ... they find someone who references or your work and includes a hyperlink -- they just seem to find you.  Who finds you?  People who can add more value to your work, your business objectives, your passions -- people who seem to "get you" and what you're doing.

I get a lot of "diamonds"/grand, delightful, sparkling gifts coming my way from my colleagues at work all the time.  The gifts are generally generosity, connection, ideas, or action.  They all come from a genuine place of wanting to share these things freely.  They come from people I don't pay, or manage. They come from passion.  Most of these gifts I never would have enjoyed if I had not ventured "out there" and met these folks on our internal social network.  Because of that, I discovered them, and they discovered me -- and more about EMC.

I also get "diamonds" from the outside. Yesterday, alone, I received two unexpected gifts.

1. New Book. An notable author and social media maven, Charlene Li of Groundswell, Forrester, and Altemeter fame, sent me a pre-press copy of her next book, "Open Leadership." Presumably, she thought I might like it, and that I might blog about it.  She's probably right.  It sure was nice to get this early and not have to make an effort to go get it or wonder what it was all about when I started to see the business coverage of it.
2. New Talent. Someone I've never met sent me an email. She said she was clicking around on Google and LinkedIn and found my blog and profile.  She said she loved what I do and found it aligned with her brand interests and experience.  She wondered on the off-chance if I had any openings in the future if I would contact her; she included her LinkedIn, email, and phone number.  Well, I do.  I did.  We met today, and I like her a lot.  Diamonds.

That's it for now.  I've been saying for some time that I feel as though diamonds fall out of the sky.  But then I remembered that catchy little song about the soles of your shoes -- maybe that's better.  I mean, who really pays attention to the sole of your shoe?  And yet, it is there all along, just ready to be noticed -- no extra money needed.  It is just there, waiting for you to leverage it.

----------------- Talk Back ---------------

What diamonds have come your way, or have you noticed of late?

All this diamond commentary reminds me of a great quote I read in TheWeek once.  Something like, "All diamonds started out as balls of coal."

Thanks for reading. Feel free to connect!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

@PollyPearson on Twitter

Your People (employees) As Your Best Brand in Action

Today I had a pop-in visit to my office by Steve Todd (photo below).  We caught up on a few subjects and, like most of my visits with Steve, our time ended with new ideas and execution plans.

Some time after he left, I glanced at the Tweet stream about EMC today, and saw a post he wrote for Vault.com being promoted like crazy (by entities not affiliated with EMC.)

I wondered what it was all about and found this (excerpts pasted below the photo). It is filled with words people like me love to read.  And yet, funny enough, Steve never mentioned it to me. 

THAT, is how it works in the ideal world!!  "That," of course, being the notion that it becomes second nature for your people to comment favorably on their jobs and their workplace culture.  ... Nothing to write home about. Nothing special enough to call attention to the "Polly" at your company.  Just another day ... 

[Photo: EMC Distinguished Engineer Steve Todd. EMC's CTO Barry Burke in background.]

The following is an excerpt from a blog post by Steve Todd on career site Vault.com:

How to Find Engaging High-Tech Careers

One of the long-held stereotypes of high-tech engineering jobs is that of a cave troll typing away in a basement cubicle, sacrificing personal time in order to hit impossible deadlines. This image extends to the large corporations that value productivity, obedience, diligence, and intellect above all else.

Contrast this stereotype with the 21st century view of how to stimulate innovation in large corporations: passion, creativity, and initiative. According to Gary Hamel, these traits do not necessarily replace obedience, diligence, and intellect; they complement them.

When interviewing for a high-tech position, you would do well to uncover how far your potential employer has come in the practice of stimulating employee initiative. ... Corporations need productive employees to generate revenue. They also need creative employees that take the initiative to guide their teams into the future while simultaneously delivering upon their commitments. There are two lines of questioning that will help you assess the culture of your potential new team.  [Go to Vault to read these!]

... I work for a large, multi-national corporation (EMC) that is currently in the midst of a shift to a 21st century management style. My company sponsors global idea contests for all employees. I am also starting to see contests held within individual business units. Coding challenges are a part of the corporate experience. Knowledge transfer across geographies is emphasized. Employees and local universities are also encouraged to lecture on their area of expertise.

Beware the answer that rings of “we work hard, all day, all the time”, and/or “we don’t have time for that stuff”. If you have your mind set on the practice of innovation, this particular company may not be the one for you.

However, if you find ready answers to your questions, you have likely found a corporation that “gets it”. There’s a good chance that accepting a job offer will result in the opportunity to combine productivity and initiative.

-Posted by Steve Todd, EMC Distinguished Engineer. Read more of Steve’s posts on careers in the tech field on his Innovate with Influence blog on Vault.

----------------- Talk Back -----------------

I've blogged before that I think "employees are the new brand spend."  All we have to do is get out of the way a little. Stop attempting to control it all, approve it all, and let them speak.  They might just do a really great job.

(Your people are, after all, well educated adults who really don't want to be fired, or to say something you would absolutely hate. )

Yes?  No? Thoughts?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson on Twitter.

Career Advice and the Job Interview: The Blue, Yellow and Red of Job Search Today.

 

[Words from Polly Pearson; Color block image from About.com]

Could these potentially be the new basics -- the Blue, Yellow, and Red -- of job search today?

Dice.com today ran an interview with me covering just three questions.  As I considered them in their most boiled down fashion, the image of three primary essentials -- Be Found; Be Relevant; Be Heard -- came to mind.

Here are the questions asked:

1. How can IT people build their brand?  ( 0:51)  BE FOUND.
2. What can set you apart during a job interview? (1:16)  BE RELEVANT.
3. How important are soft skills? (1:21) BE HEARD.

Thank you Sonia Lelii

for coming out to EMC to do the interview.

The tips  I mention in this interview, and more, can be found in the free eBook we published recently, containing real-time views from tech recruiters themselves. 

---------------- Talk Back ----------------

What are other key tips from your vantage point for the 21st Century seeker of productive connections (sales, marketing, job search, etc)?

-- Polly Pearson

http://www.pollypearson.com

@PollyPearson

Our next eBook, geared to helping the careers of professionals in IT

So last quarter we published a free eBook geared to help people find jobs in this market. We called it, "100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters."   It continues to be forwarded around and well received.

What's next?

Serving the "other half" of the employment coin, those who have a job and who wish to further their careers.  We first envisioned,

"100 Career Tips from FORTUNE 500 Executives."

We still may do that -- but not this time around.  On discussing the idea with my colleague Chuck Hollis, Chuck made this suggestion, "Why not make it even more relevant to our key audience, and feature our customers in the book, thereby honoring them?"

Love it!

After talking it around a bit more, we're now looking to feature people who are working in some of the hottest areas of IT.  The notion being that the world of IT is forever changing. Let's share some relevant and current career stories and tips -- so that others in IT can consider these insights in relation to their own career paths.

Once again, "Why do this?"

The most common desire among workers is to make progress on the job, and further their careers (so says research I've seen).  I've noticed that any forum I attend which offers a session on career tips or mentoring is always packed. There is pull for this subject. 

Let's give these tips to people dear to us, professionally -- our customers, employees, and prospective customers and employees. For those on the IT career management journey currently, it should be a nice find.  For those who aren't interested in thinking about career growth or development today, it might be a nice feeling just knowing it is there and that EMC offered it.

------------------- Talk Back ---------------

If you're in tech, would you like to read one page profiles with tips and insights from IT pros who are working in hot areas such as Virtualization, Security, Cloud Computing, and HealthCare IT?  Would you like to read their views on key tips for success and career mis-steps they've observed?

What would you like to know?

We're currently thinking of these 10 questions:

(As a potential reader of this book -- do these hit the mark for you?)

1 Share 3-5 key positions you've held in IT:

2: How old were you when you decided you wanted to get into IT? What inspired this decision?

3. How did you break into your current specialty area?:

4. What do you see as exciting opportunities in IT today?:

5. What are your top 3 tips for how to be successful and/or remain valuable in your profession?:

6. What advice do you have for someone who feels stuck in their current IT position?

7. What resources (training, publications, networks, etc) do you find essential to stay current in your field?:

8: What is a common career mis-step you've seen others make in your profession?:

9: How would you define a great day on the job?:

10: What is your favorite business communication tool today (phone, email, social networks, IM, other)?

If anyone would like to test drive these questions, please do so! Share your answers or suggestions of any kind in the comments section, or email me at pearson_polly@emc.com.

THANKS!

-- http://www.pollypearson.com

A Hot Job Category and a New LinkedIn Value Prop?

I was delighted to be greeted like a rock star at a conference in Miami earlier this week.

Moments after my presentation was over, a person came up to me and said excitedly, "You are Polly Pearson!" 

    Me: "Ah, yes."

Then she said, "Because of you I have my job!"

    Me, with quizzical look, "Really?"

Her:  "Yes! I found you on the Internet. I read your LinkedIn and said to myself, 'That's it! That's the job for me!  I modeled my ideal job description after yours and presented it to my company. They said 'Yes!'"

This person, btw, works at one of the largest and most reputable consumer brands in the world.

So Cool.

Way to go assertive career management skills, the Internet, LinkedIn ... and what the heck, the Smart Engineers of the world who figured out how to harness all the bits of digital information so that they may be stored, shared, accessed, and retrieved in such a way that they add value in the most remarkable and humanly impactful ways! 

 

... For the non-techies, that was a blatant plug for the abilities of the good and brainy engineers at EMC.

---------------- Talk Back ---------------

Are you having similar experiences thanks to LinkedIn, a cool job title or category, (brainy engineers,) or other? Please share!

Interestingly, when I asked the people at this national employee engagement and employment branding conference, how many were in their jobs less than 3 years,  90% of the people in the room raised their hands.

How Significant is Social Media for Job Search?

This week DICE.com came to visit me for a video interview on job search for technical talent in today's market. A big take away for the interviewer was that job seekers needed to break out of comfort zones and "get out there; be found on the Internet."  Recruiters operate on-line today.  If they can't find you on-line, you are at a competitive disadvantage.  And the disadvantage is GROWING by the day.

Check out this just-issued chart by JCSI.  They state that more than 50% of recruiters will use social media to find candidates, get referrals and post open positions in 2010.  If there was a chart that showed what recruiters were doing in the tech space alone, I'd guarantee the numbers would even be HIGHER!

There were Smart Dinosaurs, Too

I was at a cocktail party over the holiday and happened into a group of engineers. One of them had been looking for a job for some time.  We got to talking, and I saw some classic brainy-engineer patterns start to emerge. To him, being "excellent" at what he did was the way to get a job. Doing anything that might look like he put an ego-centric spotlight on himself was fully distasteful. Never would he get on "LinkedIn," or other such network.

That way of thinking is dated, and in my book, dumb. That is, if you want to get a great job, as fast as possible.

It can be very cool to be found and engage with other engineers and thought leaders in your field today. Check out the string on Twitter dedicated to just about any subject of substance, and you will see substance in the discussion. There will be hyper-links to the freshest content and research on that subject.  There will be opinions, debates, and cult-like passion too.  

What is a modern approach for a Smart Job Seeker?

1. Be found on-line.  Being on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will elevate your name (SEO) in a Google search by simply just being signed up on those networks. You don't have to play the stupid games or tell everyone when you opened the refrigerator. Just get on these networks with a name that is close to your exact name as possible.  On LinkedIn, have an up-to-date profile ... this is your modern resume. (Advanced job seekers should also get recommendations up there and be "connected" to past colleagues and anyone else who may know of a job opening perfect for you!)
2. Don't go it alone.  Enlist an army. Tell everyone you know what type of position you're looking for. If they don't know, they can't help.
3. After you master knowing with confidence what your value proposition is, and being able to tell others what it is (A quick definition of "value proposition" is "Benefit exceeds the cost."  What is the benefit you would bring to a company or a position?) SPEND EVERY MINUTE RESEARCHING AND THINKING ABOUT THE COMPANY(IES) YOU WANT TO WORK AT.  When interviewing, make it about THEM.  Show that you understand, passionately, what business they are in, who are their competitors, what are their opportunities and challenges, and what it takes to be successful there.   The social networks make that type of research today fun and easy.  Turn the tables and be the master of the networks. Put them to work for you.  Use them to find people who work at the company you are interested in. Watch, and engage with what they are saying -- start a dialog with them on-line. Use these networks to "eavesdrop" (ie Twitter Search Column) on the conversations your ideal company's customers, competitors and employees are having about the company. 

By using social networks to your favor, you should be able to be found, and found faster. You should also be able to blow the interviewer away with what you know about their company.  Recruiters consistently report that top mistakes job seekers make is 1) not researching the company enough and 2) not being passionate enough.

For added points, read the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People."  I know, the title makes me want to barf as well.  But especially for the soft-skill/interpersonally challenged set, it is a SUPERB guide to making connections with people and selling (in this case, you will be selling yourself.)  It tells you tricks that can help you greatly, like being sure to remember people's names, and to say their names when talking to them.  (The sound of one's name is music to people's ears.) 

Get Smart.

------------------ Talk Back ------------------

Engineers -- what have you done to get a new job, or a better job, in this modern job market? What do you think of these tips?

To those who find these tips as basic, I hear you!  It never fails to shock me, however, to see the look on people's faces who haven't been thinking in these terms.

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson

Top Job Trends of 2009 -- and your relevance

Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com started a discussion string some time ago on LinkedIn on the subject of "job security." Everyone knows there is no such thing any longer -- so, he asked, what would be the appropriate way to refer to the concept in "today's terms?"  I remember what I thought the answer could be. In one word, "Relevance."  Are you relevant? In addition to being able to execute and deliver results, are your skills up-to-date and in-line with where things are headed? That might be the best thing you can do for yourself in the realm of job security.

With that as a backdrop, I found this just published data from Indeed.com quite interesting. It lists the

 Top Job Trends of 2009.   

Where does the data come from?  According to the graphs, "Indeed.com searches millions of jobs from thousands of job sites. This job trends graph shows the percentage of jobs we find that contain your search terms."

Here's the graph for the #2 most popular job trend (aka fastest growing job term), "Cloud Computing."  (Your knowledge is up to date and relevant on this subject, right?)

cloud computing Job Trends

cloud computing jobs

What is  #1, most popular Job Trend?  "Twitter."

Twitter Job Trends

Twitter jobs

Indeed's full list of the 10 fastest growing opportunities of 2009:

1. Twitter
2. Cloud Computing
3. iPhone
4. Facebook
5. Corporate Social Responsibility
6. Blogger
7. Pediatrician
8. Hospitalist
9. Social Media
10. Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

------------- Talk Back ------------

Cool graphs, eh?

Do the trends -- or their order -- surprise you? I found them noteworthy. 

If you're looking for a job, be sure to check out -- and subscribe to alerts by area of interest and/or geography, to EMC's oodles of global job openings:  www.emc-careers.com.  This is a link to our relatively new and cutting edge SEO-optimized job opening site.

My thanks to the blog "Gautam on Organizations 2.0" for the heads up on this data.

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@PollyPearson
pearson_polly@emc.com

"How To Get A Better Job?" A post for employees and job seekers alike.

Most of the planet, it seems, would like to get a job, get promoted, or a get a better job. 

 

How does one go about making this happen (in this century)?

I'm reminded of a great post I saw a couple of years ago. An employee made a comment along the lines of, "HR stinks. No one from HR has come to me to discuss my career in over two years."

In moments, someone replied,

"You do realize that you are in charge
of your own career, right?"

So if your manager isn't promoting you like mad, and HR isn't beating down your door to discuss your personal aspirations, what do you do?

Some thoughts:

1.  Ask yourself how you are staying up to date on your profession.   (question stolen from Kris Dunn)
If it involves learning from people in your department or company, going to an annual conference, or being a member of a professional organization, that is not enough.  Get Better At What You Do.

Action:  Connect with thought leaders in the space you want to know more about or master.  Don't leave anything "hot" for the "young kids," or the people with seniority.  Learn about it. Thanks to Google, Bing, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Amazon, and good old fashioned volunteering via personal outreach, anything you want to know about is just a click, or request, away. 99% of information and connection with the thought leaders in the space you wish to master is free. 

There are LinkedIn professional groups on just about every topic.  In these groups, people are having real-time discussions and solving real-time problems. By listening to, and eventually joining, the conversation you'll pick something up.  This will make you more valuable at your current job -- and people you work with will start to notice.

If that is too aggressive for you, do a Twitter Search on the professional topic you're interested in.  Look at the people who pop up under that category. Follow the people with lots of followers -- they likely are saying something of value.  Read what they're saying, and what they are linking to.  Eventually, consider engaging with them by commenting on something they said, or simply "ReTweeting" something they said that you found of value.  In the process, you get two benefits.  You are seeing new insights that will add value to your professional knowledge, and you are starting to build your network of people you know outside of your current life circle.

2. Ask yourself (and reply honestly!) if you are leveraging the resources at your disposal today. Get Better At Using What Is Available to You. 

ACTION For those with jobs:

Look with fresh eyes at your Relationship with your Manager. Work to connect better with him/her.  Know his/her goals. Look for opportunities to take things off his/her plate. Give more than you get. Exceed expectations. Support others on the team. Mentor others. Be positive. Be passionate. Care more about the success of the company and the mission than you care about your status. Always have a proposed solution at hand when you discuss what could be better. Evaluate your proposed solution like the CEO would -- does the benefit exceed the cost? Will the solution work to expedite the strategy, revenue and profit?

Are you getting to know others at your place of work? Join affinity groups, sit down with people you may or may not know at lunch, ask for 15 minutes of someone you admire's time, buy someone a cup of coffee. Read/listen to the articles and discussions taking place on Intranets and Social Networks.  Reply to the people who wrote them with thoughts that further the concepts discussed. Work to expand your circle of people you know, and thus your circle of influence.  Plan to give to them (in time, insight, volunteer effort) more than you get in return.

Do you have an agent set up on the company's job posting web site? Many/most of these allow you to key in search words and get alerted via email the next time a job opens up with that word(s).

Do you have an up-to-date profile on your internal network?  (These are becoming internal resumes for talent seeking managers -- many of whom are searching with word searches. Do the words you used on your profile reflect your skills and aspirations?)

Are you leveraging your company's training and education offerings?  These are a great way to meet others -- expanding your network and your company insights -- as well as to expand your skills.

ACTION For those looking for job:

Have you mastered your elevator pitch?  This is the pitch that states what you're looking for and why you are well suited to do it. Have you shared this pitch, and mastered it further, with everyone you know?  Have you changed the hat you wear on your head to that of chief salesperson and chief marketing officer for YOU?

As chief salesperson and chief marketing officer, how are you making sales calls, building relationships, and looking for potential space to advertise?  Now is not the time to be meek or shy. You need to be proud of the product you are selling.

Has everyone on your FaceBook,  LinkedIn, Alumni, Neighborhood, and prior workplace networks heard/seen your elevator pitch? Have you turned the table on LinkedIn and FaceBook started to USE them -- seek out people who know people at the companies where you would like to work? Read blogs and books on how to best use these networks for job search.  Believe me, there are TONS of new ways.

Are you recruiting recruiters?  This was called to my attention just this week by JP McDermott over on Examiner.com.  Don't forget to market yourself (and this means many contact attempts) to the people with the jobs! Understand they are busy, but also make sure they know your elevator pitch and how you can help them.

For more tips, be sure to read our new eBook on 100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

NET:  Remember the old line that has never been more true, or easier to accomplish in this social network-rich-on-line-world:  Who You Know Is More Important (in job search) Than What You Know!

Action:  Work to know more people with knowledge important to you.  Give them more than you hope to get.

Good Luck!  For me, the networking-oriented things are new tools in my career tool kit. Since I started using them, I've built more relationships, made more connections, learned more, and added more value to my company. Oh, and I've had more fun in the process as well.

-------------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What are your tips to help get a better job?

-- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

Free eBook: 100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters

Here's a free gift for you, or someone you care about.  Download it here.   

It is an eBook containing 100 (real-time, right-now, in-this-market) Job Search Tips from tenured FORTUNE 500 recruiters, globally. It offers their top strategies, as well as what they see as some of the biggest mistakes made by job seekers today.  You can view the tips by the area of focus they represent (executive search, college placement, sales, service, engineering, general, etc), or the area of the world in which they search for talent (such as North America, Europe, China). It also offers links to top resources and sites.

 

This book is not about EMC, or for EMC in any direct way.  There is no need to register or provide any information at all from your end.  

Why did we put this together?  Here are a few of the reasons:

• To Open the Black Box.  How many people know how recruiters work, or how to find a job? Until I started working on my company's employment brand, and getting to know the recruiters and how they operated, I surely didn't have a clue. As a "Loyal Employee," who wasn't on the job market, I had no need to know.  Or did I? Things change fast. There are a lot of "loyal employees" on the market today, at no fault of their own. Job search, and how recruiters worked was a black box (a mystery) to me. I figured it must be to a lot of you as well.

• To Brand, in a subtle web 2.0 manner.   As a largely business-to-business brand, most consumers -- and most of the world for that matter -- are not familiar with EMC Corporation.  If we can give something of value, freely, to people ... something they benefit from, and may choose to share with others ... it could introduce the EMC brand to more people, in a kind way.  If it entices people to look at job openings at EMC, that's gravy on top -- could be good for them, could be good for EMC.

• To Help.  It actually makes me physically ill when seeing the disconnect between how search works today, and how many people are going about it. Too many people fear putting themselves on-line. Too many people think writing a resume and sending it to a company is the way search still works.  And while they operate in the "old mold of search," stress is building on them and on their families.  The cycle worsens.  As the intro of this eBook points out: putting people to work is good. It is good for business, it is good for families, it is good for the world. 

 

We started this project in the Fall -- it was brainstormed by Dan Schawbel and I and supported by everyone we mentioned it to in a Jerry McGuire-esque "You had me at 'Hello'."   It was also supported by career pundits in general -- a big THANK YOU to columnist Eve Tahmincioglu of MSNBC.com; columnist Alison Doyle of About.com; CEO/author Jason Alba of JibberJobber.com; and author/coach Lindsey Pollak of LindseyPollak.com and LinkedIn for reading and reviewing the book prior to release.

Check out the book. Download it (you never know). If there is no news in there for you -- give yourself a pat on the back.  You'll be fine.  If you learned something new, share the news.  There are too many people out there who really need these insights.  If you'd like more tips, consider subscribing to this blog (http://www.pollypearson.com)  and, most definitely, check out the series of 6 or 7 posts I did over the summer titled the "Get a Job and Career Tips Series." 

**********  A Story ************

The faces and stories of job search in this climate became vivid for me a couple weeks ago. I was a "speed mentor" on Careers at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, where, for three hours, people formed several lines, each 15 -- 25 people deep, waiting to get some advice.

The disconnect between how successful job search takes place in this market, and how these professional, accomplished people were approaching their search was painful to see.  

One woman explained how she had sent out over 100 resumes over the past several months and how she was frustrated that she didn't get one reply.  Then, she said, she went into one of the sky-rises in Boston hoping to talk with someone about a job.  What did they do? They gave her a company-branded water bottle and sent her on her way.  

That method -- sending resumes and walking into office buildings may have worked the last time these people were on the market for a job ... but not today!

Many candidates pride themselves on NOT being on-line. Conservative people, of course, could find that action unwise. News Flash: not being found via a simple Google search is what is unwise today.    You are at competitive disadvantage by not being easily found in the on-line world.  

------------------ Talk Back -----------------

What do you think of the eBook? Of the way search happens today?

For the branders and company marketing/or human resources folk who read this blog:   this effort, of course, cost us nothing but our time.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

Marcus Buckingham, Empowerment, Oprah, Women, and "So What"

In a couple hours I'll head into Boston to see Marcus Buckingham speak at the Mass Woman's Conf. Marcus is the former Gallup researcher who found that people and teams do better work when they spend energy doing what they do best, rather than working on improving weaknesses. (I became familiar with his work for the first time during one of my maternity leaves, 2002 I think. Then I saw him speak at an EMC Leadership event a couple years ago where I fell in true, intellectual lust with the concept - especially as it was backed up by so much compelling data!) Since then, I've been reading more on the concept in Gallup world, and applying the wisdom in my job at EMC.

[Image: Marcus Buckingham and Oprah Winfrey] 

Marcus has now been on Oprah, and realized, it seems, there was a jackpot waiting in what might be called the "women's empowerment market." He just wrote a book targeted to women, with notable data that could capture anyone's attention, and now is a touring phenom at Women's conferences. I think I heard there will be 5,000 women expected today, alone, in Boston.

Hey Marcus! I think we should collaborate! I have a growing list of real world case studies displaying the beauty of this concept in action within a FORTUNE 200 company. (guess which?!) It is this list of what's happened over the last year alone that actually got me jumping out of bed tonight at the ripe hour of oh-dark-thirty -- I've got to share it on the blog. Crazy good. All free, or near free, to deploy for the company. All delicious for the people involved.

"So what," you might say?  Here's the so what:  Pumped up people pump up good vibes in those around them -- allowing everyone to do better work. Better work from passionate people pumps up prospects and customers, who pump up revenue, profit and ultimately, shareholder value!  This isn't just about the cuddles, it is about unleashing goodness for both people and business!

So while I remain disappointed with the fact that the world apparently still needs women's conferences and empowerment pitches for women in business at this state in the game (women are, as we know, more educated and remain the majority of the population!), I can see the beauty of unleashing more wonder, and enhanced business results by indoctrinating and unleashing the legions of ready and willing business women in the world with the power of this information. 

--Polly
http://www.pollypearson.com; @pollypearson

Two New Ways Social Networking Can Hurt / Help Your Career

I see two new opportunities with regard to career management and social network participation emerging. One could hurt your career. The other could help.

The story unfolds in an email exchange between two of my colleagues below (names and job opening removed to protect those who shared!). 

To jump to the chase, here are the two new ways:

THE HURT:

Even in Web 2.0 savvy companies, too much Tweeting is not a good thing. 

Today was the second instance I've heard of managers being freaked out by people with tsunami-esque tweeting habits. 

Of course, you could argue, it should all boil down to whether the person can get the day job done well. That said, voluminous tweeting sends signals to your manager -- or a peer of yours who feels s/he's working harder than you are. The message you're sending to these people could be: "not enough to do." 

You might find this totally stupid, and having no indication on your ability to do your job. Just thought you should know: your Tweeting habits, if extreme, could make or break an opportunity for you.

TIP: When Tweeting during prime time for most of the workforce, consider the content of your tweets (95%+ professional and/or helpful to other professionals), the value of your tweets to your company (are they helping to build your company's brand while presumably building your own?), and the volume of your tweets (don't push it.)

THE HELP:

Pay career-minded attention to the internal profile you fill out about yourself. By now, most of us have written a LinkedIn profile.   At EMC, a profile that registers us to use an internal collaboration/social network, is starting to be used, unofficially, in internal talent search. 

As the story unfolds below, this little task of filling out your profile could be very strategic for your career.  Savvy managers are using such networks to search key words with the hope of finding key talent.  Are you making it easy or hard for opportunities inside of your company to find you?

TIP:  Spend a bit of time on your internal profile. Consider key words that summarize your skills and your passions (you never know, interests such as photography, music, or languages spoken could be relevant to a particular position). Be sure to add a photo! Visuals communicate and help connect. Don't miss the opportunity photos represent.

-- I'll fall on my sword on this tip -- until I got the email below, I too have ignored the "internal LinkedIn" profile opportunity. --

---

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 1:53 PM
To:
Subject: story

 

My group looking to hire a xxxxxx ... on paper, one candidate looks to have the right experience ... tenure, technical and presentation skills, writing skills.

 

I've noticed one issue in the past with the candidate, however, and checked again today ... 40+ tweets in the past 24 hours ... that's a big red flag. That's an over-the-top what is wrong with this person red flag!

 

People who get involved in Social Media 2.0 need to be savvy enough to realize potential hiring managers might actually look at their online presence

_____________________________________________________________________

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:05 PM
To:

Subject: RE: story

At some point, in comes the question of "do you need something more to do at work if you have all that free time?"

 

It's definitely a challenge, and one I always advise folks of - especially when talking to Campus Hires, Interns, and participants who are not always familiar with that notion.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

From:
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:43 PM
To:
Subject: RE: story

"do you need something more to do at work if you have all that free time?"

EXACTLY!

 

and speaking of Social Media 2.0 savvy ... or lack thereof ... people should ALWAYS post their picture on EMC ONE, title and a bit on what they do!

 

I look at some of these profiles on EMC ONE  ... and many profiles are junk.   I guess people love their jobs so much they never ever ever would consider the opportunity to join another group and get a promotion and new title.

 

jeez.

------------------------- Talk Back ----------------------------

If external social networks can help present new opportunities, can you see the same potential with internal networks?

If external social networks can help boost your career search, can you see also how they could hurt your career ... without your even knowing it?  It likely won't be your manager who notices all your Tweets and Facebook updates during the day -- it will probably be someone else, someone who makes mention of it to your manager.  That mention could make your manager feel as though he/she isn't doing a good enough job managing you. .... oooohhhh. At that point, pain and embarrassment start rolling down hill (in your direction!)

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

 

---

---

Career Tips, apparently by Me.

Today I was a guest at a Lunch & Learn, where people from around the company gather in a conference room over lunch to ask questions in a casual manner, and learn about someone's career.

Have you ever answered a few career-oriented questions, told a few career-oriented stories, and wondered what the audience got out of it, if anything at all?

Following is an excerpt from an email of thanks I received from one of the attendees of today's event. It recaps her take aways.

• Move around to grow your network
• The great way to grow your career is to do the job, volunteer to help others, and build relationships
• Use, read and respond to postings on EMC|One (our internal collaboration network)
• Ask for what you want from your manager - ask for the job, they aren't mind readers
• Earn your seat at every table - don't be shy, share your ideas and be passionate
• Ask your manager for their goal list, and help them accomplish their goals
• When you need help from a friend or mentor on something important to you, don’t include them on the email but instead talk to them on the side
• Characteristics that managers look for: No whining, Getting things done, Positive attitude, Proposed solutions.

I loved to see that so many people came to today's Lunch & Learn -- and that they represented so many functions at EMC.  People joined from sales, engineering, alliances, marketing, and more. Humbling. (Thank you.)

Yesterday, EMC held our Speed Coaching event (sort of like Speed Dating, but on career coaching.)  I was delayed and didn't end up coaching -- but I did check out the room. It was like a beehive on a concert sound system. The place was packed (and obviously buzzing!)  I ran into EMC's Distinguished Engineer, Steve Todd, afterward.  He was glowing and said it was the most fun he'd had all week.  I asked him was his career tip was. His reply?

"You know, my usual.  Get your job done well and early, and then do whatever you like." (Said with a giant smile, and a nodding head.)

---------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

If you happened to be in the room for today's Lunch & Learn or yesterday's Speed Coaching, what tips struck a note with you?  Please share. Spread the wisdom.

Thanks!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

It isn't the Smart Idea. It is the addition of "Passion," + "Connections," that Bring Success.

I spent the day yesterday with a room filled with 200-300 really smart people. Not just a little smart, but truly fabulously smart.  There were finalists from our global innovation idea contest, distinguished engineers (our elite force), a fellow (turbo-elite), a few authors, a couple of CEOs, and in total, hand-selected, innovation-minded representatives from every major functional area at the company. 

[PHOTO:  Three of EMC's tech elite Distinguished Engineers. Helen Raizen, Peter Madany, Dan Cobb. Taken during the Innovation Conference by talented EMCer, David Elmes.]

If that wasn't intimidating enough, I was asked to present.  It was all fine and good until the morning of the event when I told my 8th grader why I was rushing off so early. "My goodness," I thought to myself, "what have I done?!"

In my last blog, I shared a bit of what I discussed. The fun part of the presentation, for me, was when others joined me on the stage to share a story of something they witnessed at the company by way of an innovation. I asked them to highlight the ingredients that came after someone having "a great idea" -- the "Passion" and working toward "Success" parts.

Sometimes you have to be a bit of a Pest

The first story to be shared came from a non-engineer, Tom Broderick, a Director at EMC, involved with Business strategy and our global Centers of Excellence. His story was about a radically new pricing strategy for EMC in 2003 (think depth of recession.)  He said the team presenting this idea was shot down 2 or 3 times by the executive committee at the company. Each time, they tweaked the plan, build their network of supporters, and essentially, refused to give up. Their conviction, passion, and yes, smart work sold the strategy.  The result? It transformed the industry pricing model and, looking at EMC's dramatic rise in revenue from 2003 - 2008 (roughly $6 billion to $15 Billion!), I'd say it had an impact on the company, too.

Sometimes you have to be Master Networker

The second story to be shared came from EMC technology strategist, Barry Burke.  He couldn't list just one innovation idea he witnessed. He recited a long list of mainstream products at EMC which would never would have seen the light of day had it not been for .... "the idea generator forgetting it was his/her idea and making it the idea and passion of others."  He said it was the network of believers that drove those ideas over the finish line and into the giant product success circle that they live in today.

Sometimes you have to put yourself out on a limb in the interest of making it great

A third story came from an engineer/manager, Dave Spencer, about a work in process.  He told of an engineering team working on a stealth product. One of the members of the team suspected that something wasn't quite right and could be better.  He confided in a senior member of an engineering team not associated the project.  This senior person had a full plate, and was on an aggressive schedule managing another product release. But, in true EMC fashion, he listened, thought about it, and he, too, suspected there could be a better way.  Tireless work began to unfold in parallel. The work is still in play. We don't know how it will end.  One definition of success for sure is the opinion of the senior engineer. He said he hasn't had this much fun at work in years!!

---------- Oh that Feeling When Someone Connects -------

A highlight for me was when a senior engineer and finalist of the global innovation idea contest quoted my presentation during he panel he sat on.  He said we need more of the culture I discussed -- one filled with passion and connections. As a global and wide-reaching company it is more important than ever that we support one another, know what one another is working on to move FASTER!  He also pointed to the opportunity to eliminate waste from projects that get done, that others don't know about and ultimately get under-utilized.

----------------------- A surprise! -----------------------

Another highlight was meeting EMCer David Elmes, who works in API support for our eRoom product.  He told me he was an English major and we started talking about EMC ONE, our internal collaboration network, and how we found some photographers there recently. Ends up he, too, is a professional photographer. He asked if he could take some photos.  Ends up, he took the one at the top of this blog and many more amazing shots. He took this one of me too ...

An amazing day.  Lots of connections and inspiration, and family building.  At the cocktail hour that followed the day there was even more!

... Check out Stu Miniman's blog for a great recap and a video of the conversations at the bar!

------------------- Talk Back ---------------------------

Personal connections, uber smart people/engineers.  Do they mix?

Is more needed, or is everything just fine thank you?

Work is Getting Personal. Calling all humans!

Who Turned the Tables?

Employees Now Setting the Agenda with Execs in Coaching Forums

 

[PHOTO: EMCers taken during a random day in the life this past year.]

Two cool things just happened.

ONE:

I was just briefed on an event where the organizers are ditching the usual podium speech, where one exec (or "expert") feels like the celebrity, and shares what s/he believes is good information -- leaving, as these types of presentations generally do, the audience to consider how one or more of these information nuggets might help their particular situation.

In this use case, I love that the organizers are turning the tables in favor of giving celebrity-level love to the individual people in the audience.  VALUE!

What's the event?  A "personal," 1x1 speed coaching program, designed by the people of EMC, for the people of EMC. It will take place later this month in multiple US locations. It has full executive sponsorship and participation. All the people had to do to get it done was to ask.

What will it be like?

Envision 50 people getting personally-relevant coaching from multiple company executives in a spirited "speed dating" format. That is, in about an hour, these 50 individual employees be able to ask their questions, of importance to their particular goals or situation, in one-on-one fashion to three different execs. Chances are, these people would not have had the opportunity, or the personal comfort level, to ask such questions of these execs in the course of their normal business routine.

Who put this together? The people in EMC's Black Employee Affinity Group. Those at EMC can learn more and register for the event here.

But Wait! There's More!

They're even going to leverage EMC's internal collaboration network, EMC|ONE to document the event, share tips, take aways, and provide a repeatable "kit" so that the event's model could be replicated anywhere in the world by any person who chooses to put it together.

TWO:

I just got an invite in my mailbox that, once again, puts the people of the company in the drivers seat in a very personal way.

A group of people in EMC's marketing group (graduates of EMC's college hire "Marketing Leadership Development Program") decided to launch a "Lunch & Learn" series with EMC executives.  They limit the amount of the people in the room to just those who can comfortably sit around a conference room table.  They invite execs in to share their story, and to take questions from the other folks in the room, with a focus on the person and the personal. No Powerpoint. No product, organizational, or other real-time business content required. The focus is on the person, their careers, and knowledge exchange of relevance to the particular people in the room on that day.

Yeah, but what executives do the people get to have lunch with?  A pretty good variety of folks, if you asked me. The invite that was just sent out has

 

[Photos:  Brian, Art, Rich, Polly]

• a division President (of our uber-cool Security biz, RSA): Art Coviello
• two senior vice presidents in engineering who oversee the innovation within multi-billion dollar product lines, Brian Gallagher and Rich Napolitano
• and me

Those who work at EMC, can connect with the Lunch & Learn program, sign up for these events and be in the know about future L&L's here.

Revolutionary?  No. Personal, yes. Cool, I think so. 

Both events leverage EMC's internal collaboration network, and enable those who attended to share stories and insights relevant to their personal worlds. 

------------------------Talk Back----------------------------

Are you getting personal career attention?

Are you thinking of ways to make that happen?

Career Growth and Development is always at, or near the top of the chart on desired factors by employees. In times of recession, employee views of career development tend to go down (or plummet!). I thought these were to interesting, free, and relatively easy ideas to put in play that can really be of value to the people. Everyone could use more love and attention, especially in times like these!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Learning, Innovation and Career Choices: Does Company Size Matter?

Last night I got together with EMC's Dr. Burt Kaliski, a senior member of EMC's Office of the CTO, and a rock star in the realm of collaboration with the top minds in global academia and tech.

(It was in a meeting with Burt back in early 2007 when we were planning our first Idea Contest and Innovation Conference that the light bulb went on my head on the power of Web 2.0 collaboration. My professional life hasn't been the same since.)

As we were going over the design of the 2009 Conference, Burt talked about how the size of EMC as a company is perfect for learning and application of knowledge.  Really? I hadn't considered that. 

He compared a company of our scale to a smaller company, where he used to spend his days.  "Everyone there knows the same things," he said.  He compared our company to a much larger entity, and said something along the lines of "That company is so massive, it would be miraculous if an internal collaboration network like our own could come off the ground. Ideas and people get lost."

 Here, he tells the story through the lens of our innovation project at hand:  (turn up your system's volume, please. My error.)

Juicy stuff.  The type of thing, now that I think about it, that Steve Todd often writes about over on The Information Playground  and in his new book, Innovate with Influence.  Steve compares every new EMC invention and every new acquisition as a type of toy he gets to think about relative to what is in his toy box. What if he mixed this with that? Could that combination solve a customer problem in a new and needed way?  I get that. I just never thought of it relative to the "have nots" or "have too much" companies of the world.

Career Choices and The Toy Box

It made me think of a conversation I had over the weekend with a friend, and former EMCer. He's at  another company now. It has about 100 employees.  This former EMCer's body language slumped visibly when he told me about all the collaboration they don't do, in part, because the company is so small. Everyone knows each other, and yet at the same time, they fear sharing. It is run in a total command and control manner. New ideas need not apply.

Can you imagine having a large toy box filled with diverse ideas to play with, and then having just one toy, one idea, one color, to tinker with, all inside of a box that someone else defined?

--------------------- Talk Back ---------------------

What is your experience in innovating, learning and company size?

I thought Burt's words, and the former EMCer's words were compelling relative to the EMC experience and triangulated well with the many interviews I have done with people where I asked them, "What is inspiring or compelling about working at EMC?"  The most common answer is this: "At EMC, I get to innovate (or solve problems) every day."  THAT is what people mean when they call EMCers "Intrapreneurs."  Love that.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

EMC HR says "Yes" to Doing Personal Business at Work. Really?

Meet Jack Mollen, EMC's EVP of HR.  Yesterday we got together to discuss an upcoming lecture he's doing at MIT on the subject of recruiting and retaining talent. 

(He made the mistake of noticing the flipcam I brought with me to his office, which prompted me to turn it on to share some of his gems with you.)

Here's a bit of what he had to say. He covered career decisions, compensation, company culture, and touched on a sore spot for many execs:  doing personal business on company time. All in 1 minute and 28 seconds.  Check it out! 

VIDEO:  Jack Mollen, EMC EVP of HR and thought leader on Web 2.0 behavior models at work.

Jack actually has a lot of views that the old guard might find surprising. Take LinkedIn for example. I nearly stopped cold the first time I heard his view on this subject a few years ago:  Forget about banning LinkedIn on the office network! He thinks employees should be on LinkedIn.

Why on Earth would a head of HR say that?

To paraphrase, he believes that given the pace of the world today, there will be times in your career where you out-grow your company, or your company out-grows you. In learning cultures within dynamic industries in particular, needed skill sets evolve with every strategy evolution. Not everyone will be able to keep the pace.  His heart breaks for people who find themselves in that situation having no contacts or connections to the world outside. In addition, he recognizes that it helps his company's brand by having you, and your expertise be known and found by others. Not everyone poking around in LinkedIn is a recruiter.  

Your Portable, Living, Business Rolodex

Stated simply, LinkedIn isn't just for job search anymore. I see it as your portable, living, business rolodex that enables you to find your professional contacts now and forever in the future, and enables others to find you.  Those in the know are also using it as a way to get expert advice on any question imaginable, or to further their reputation as an authority on a given subject. You never know what doors could open up -- for your company and for yourself -- by being found on such a gold mine of networked professionals.

PHOTO: Lindsey Pollak, a Career-focused Networking Author, Speaker, and LinkedIn Pro

A real expert on LinkedIn is my friend, GenY guru & author, Lindsey Pollak. LinkedIn even hired her to teach others how to use it. If you're interested in investing 1 hour in your career to learn the latest, check out this free library of webcasts, where she walks you through it. Please share any tips that spoke to you in the comment section of this post. (Thanks!)

-------------------- Talk Back -------------------

What do you think?  

Should your manager see this?!

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

What's new?

No time to write lately. Here's a quick list on the what's "new" or randomly notable for me in the realm of work.

TelePresence

Had my second TelePresence virtual meeting this morning with a group of CIOs on a tour of companies in Ireland. They were at EMC's operations in Cork, meeting with people there, and easily changed gear to meet "live" with a few of us in Hopkinton. Boy, was that easy. When I first got the invite from our Country Manager in Cork inviting me to present our Web 2.0 transformation to this group, I immediately thought of international travel. Drag. Cost. Time. Airports, and all that.

The CIOs, btw, were really interested in consumerism inside of an enterprise. They had lots of questions of EMC's plan to treat PCs similar to mobile devices -- allowing users more freedom to use the device they wish. 

John Chambers was my First.

Photo: a screen shot of my flip cam library, showing a few of the clips I took during the meeting at Cisco. 

I did my first TelePresence (TP) meeting last week with John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, and a group of communication pros from FORTUNE 200 companies at Cisco's NYC offices last week. I loved his story about telling his engineers, on seeing the prototype for TP, that he wanted to "be like Scotty on Star Trek" during TP virtual meetings.  Do a TP meeting, you'll see what he means!

After hearing the state-of-the state of 2.0'ness among these companies, I was really proud of where EMC is in this journey.

Connections and Development

I did a little bit of a time investment in my own professional development by going to a boot camp for Board of Directors, put on by the most networked person I know. It was interesting, even at this session run by people who started their professional careers a long time ago, how many times the phrase "personal brand" came up. As a CEO who joined us said, "When we're interviewing Board candidates, we're going to give you a brand. A nick name that categorizes you in some way." The lesson of course was to define what we want that brand to be before the interview. It will help people place you into opportunities and help make sure you will be differentiated in the process. Sound familiar?

The Train

 

Trains are not new or sexy, and they are totally under-rated in my book. I've been on the train between Boston and NYC a few times recently and it is simply the way to go. Easy. Fast. Civilized. Not cramped. Inexpensive. Not smelly. Friendly. Easy to Work. When work is done, wine.

Recession-Fab Hotel

Since the near-travel-ban took effect last year, every time I travel, I try to go in a recession-friendly way. I've taken to staying with friends over hotels. This week was no different. As a result, I had great catch up time with a friend and got to see a part of her life I never would have seen. Which, btw, was a fabulous 2-story apt near the park in the upper West side decorated in white --  evidence that no kids or pets live there!

On the Bookshelf

An EMCer some time back gave me the book "Essential Drucker, the Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management."  Read this on my train ride home. Amid this transformation toward new organizational models, it was interesting to read how the practice of management started. Net: the practice is less than 150 years old, and was modeled after the command-and-control norm of the army. Of course, the army at the time was comprised of people with educational levels that pale in comparison to today's norm.  EMC's Stu Miniman shared this article with me today by Gary Hamel on a new management view. Nice! Love the last line, especially.

------------ Talk Back ----------

What's new with you? 

Business dynamics?  

Cost/spend/lifestyle dynamics? 

Management perspectives?

Personal development insights?

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series, #6: Facebook can be an ASSET in job search!

I can hear the advice coming from everyone. It sounds like a nagging mother telling her kids to look both ways before crossing the street.  Yeah, mom, I know. I know.

The nag I hear most about social networks, especially to the college set, is: "Beware. Don't. Watch out."

Google the subject and you'll get links like this one at the top of the list leading with the risks and warnings about participating on social networks and blogging, as they relate to your career prospects. It is a good post, everyone should be aware of the risks. It is a super post in that it also sheds light on opportunities blogging provides ... yet, the take away impression is still "WATCH OUT!"

Trend spotting: Facebook is the friend of Job Search!

Two days ago, I clicked on something of interest in my Tweetstream which brought me to a wonderfully insightful blog post which suggested looking at Facebook profiles and updates as a tool that can attract, not detract. Brilliant! It had me at hello. 

Today, I saw this theme again in a piece that Jessica Shambora (@jessshambora) of FORTUNE wrote. Title? "Watch Out LinkedIn, Facebook is gaining on you."  Jessica was kind enough to include me in her article so I can vouch for the fact that she was onto this theme at least dating back to last Tuesday, September 1st, when she interviewed me.

Let the sunshine in!  Yes!, everyone's doom and gloom can also mean a big opportunity!  Blue Ocean, Red Ocean, and all that.

This, I think, is a job tip and a trend spot of the moment.  I did a Twitter Search to find that blog post I read with the breakthrough thought.  Should have known. It was from Guy Kawaski.  Way to go, Guy.

To be fair, the first opportunistic write up I saw on Facebook for job search came from this great experiment and resulting post on job seekers placing ads in Facebook by Willy Franzen on his blog, One Day One Job. Oddly, Willy wrote that one year ago to the week.  

It is early days with this, though an indication of things to come. Good stuff.  Take that naggers. 

-- My kudos to anyone else who may have had this breakthrough thought. Feel free to share a link to your opportunistic take in a comment on this post. --

-------------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

Okay, let me have it. Tell me all the terrible things that happen on Facebook.

Then for those who wish to swim in blue oceans, can you see the opportunity? Can you see the world seeing the genuine you?  That the genuine you will likely be attractive to a company and a culture where there is a genuine fit? What do you see?

And what could be the next opportunity, for people or business, with tools that we dismiss or diminish for certain applications today?

If you want to continue the conversation on what's now and what's next in the realm of careers, culture, cool, and the world of employment branding, feel free to follow me on Twitter and/or subscribe to this blog.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post # 5: "Salary Discussions and Attitude"

Should you really tell a recruiter the truth about how much money you currently make, and your truthful, agreeable price range for the job you're seeking?

Honesty is the foundation of any good relationship. Great companies will pay market salary for outstanding candidates. Answering every question directly and honestly will only work to cement that relationship with your recruiter. In addition, most hiring managers require salary information/history before they will consider a candidate.

Net: holding out, or obfuscating the facts will hurt you for the job you apply for, and forever more with that particular recruiter. 

--------------------------------------

Today's tips come from EMC recruiter, Paul Guidoboni:

1. It is okay to give salary information. Evading the question or not giving an answer is not going to endear you to the recruiter.
   
2. Be honest with everyone you talk to.  Whether it is job experience, education, travel requirements, etc., honesty is always the best policy.
   
3. From the Front Desk to the CEO, be courteous and respectful of everyone you meet. A smile and great attitude always makes a  good impression.
   
4. Follow up on the resume that you sent in to a recruiter; a quick call or email will separate you from the pack.
   
5. Don't get discouraged; finding the right job takes time. Look at every interview as a new opportunity.
   
6. Network, network, network. You never know where the next opportunity is going to come from. The more people you talk to, the more chances you have of finding the right job for you.

---------------------------------------

What I've observed about the way recruiters work in a Corporate Setting:

• Recruiters can often be looking to place 30 - 50 jobs at a time. 

• They're evaluated on "time to fill" positions.

• Their reputation depends on presenting quality matches and enabling the company to fill requisitions as swiftly as possible.

• They tend to have "job category specialties," that they hire people into.  (If you're not right for the req they have today with a particular salary or experience spec, you might be perfect for the req they get tomorrow.)

• While sounding calm and collected with you on the phone, they are working like mad, and every minute is money to them. Don't waste their time!

• That said, they're handling such a high volume of resumes and postings, they welcome reminders from talent -- phone calls or emails. Such contact, they say, will help you stay on their radar.

----------Talk Back ---------------------

What do you know about how recruiters work that can help out a job seeker?


- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson


If you or someone you know is looking for a job, check out EMC's easy to navigate job posting site:  http://www.emc-careers.com. 


Paul, btw, is currently looking to fill these East coast jobs:

SharePoint/MOSS Architects  - New England & NYC Metro Region – Multiple positions – Strong MOSS experience required

Sr. Business Intelligence Architect - Mid Atlantic (Philly & DC) and NYC Metro Regions - ProClarity or  Performance Point and Microsoft Stack required

Information Architect – New England & NYC Metro Region – SharePoint/MOSS Experience a huge plus

Technical Solutions Program Management – New England Region – PMP certification required, SharePoint/MOSS experience a plus

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post #4 "Preparing for your Job Search"

A Job Search Made Easier

 

Today's tips come from Paul Henneke. His first tip struck a note with me: Volunteering. 

The last time I decided to change companies, career expertise, and look for a new job, the first call I made was to offer my services in a volunteer role in the field in which I wanted to work. 

It worked! 

"Getting the volunteer job" enabled me to maintain full confidence in my search, as I knew I had a place to go, while at the same time, I would be building my skills (and resume) in the right direction.  I wrote more about this experience in one of my first posts, here.

 

Tips from Paul Henneke on how to prepare yourself by engaging and connecting:

Volunteer - Look to non profits, schools, etc, to put your skill set to use. This will show prospective employers your passion for your area of expertise, and on a personal side, will show prospective employers you are interested in the community. Also, many corporations have volunteer or support organizations, providing a great opportunity to network. I know of several candidates that were hired by the organization, or from a supporting organization, as a result of volunteering.

Join networking groups in your area - Check out clubs, Yahoo groups, and religious organizations. They may have networking groups that meet regularly. They present good opportunities to network, and often recruiters speak at these groups.

LinkedIn - Connect to as many former co-workers, peers, and supervisors as possible. Join LinkedIn groups, as most have job sites that recruiters are using to post positions. Join LinkedIn discussion forums, and get on the radar of others by offering answers to questions in your realm of expertise.

Continuing education - Keep current, take on-line courses, attend seminars, events, etc. Not only will this help your professional development, but you will expand your network. When recruiters call, and ask, "so what have you been doing since you left XYZ company," you can talk with confidence about your new learnings.

Take a drive - You know the top companies in your area, by reputation or by the "big" corporate campus. But what about the companies with smaller sites? Drive around the local business parks, or drop in to a large office building and see what companies have an office there. Then check out their corporate sites, looking for what function that office handles.  Is it a sales office?  Does it have a full suite of job functions? Do some digging on the web.

 

Thanks Paul!  For those interested in volunteering, it has never been easier.  Check out this awesome new on-line resource, Urban Interns, to search for "intern" job opportunities by industry, task, schedule and education required.  Positions listed are just in New York today, but this resource will soon be coming to more cities, such as Boston.

 

------------- Talk Back ----------------

Have you had positive experiences with any of these tips?

Care to share a tip of your own? 

Note, you can search EMC's job openings by just about any parameter at this cool new site: http://www.emc-careers.com.

 

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com 

 

Paul's Current Openings:

Senior Storage Dev - NDMP - NetWorker Products, Santa Clara, Calif; Req 44248

Consultant Storage Dev - C/Java - Avamar, Southborough, MA; Req 42405

Senior UI Engineer/Designer - NetWorker Products, Santa Clara, Calif; Reg 44249

Consultant SW Engineer, Cloud Dev - NetWorker CTO group, Santa Clara, Cali; Req 42621

Principal SW Engineer, Client Service - Avamar, Irvine, CA; Req 42622

 

The Career & Get a Job Tip Series: Post #3 "Interview Prep"

Preparing for a Job Interview

Today's tip should be basic knowledge -- yet it remains surprising how many people don't research either the company or the interviewer well enough before the interview.  In the world of social networks and search, this simple act has never been easier or more revealing!

As the must-read and timeless book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" points out, most people cherish the opportunity to talk about themselves, and they love the sound of their own name. If you communicate in a manner which leverages this human trait, you will connect better with your target audience.

When applying that tip to an interview, that means, if interviewing with Mary Jones at BALL, Inc., -- you'll have a better ability to connect with Mary and the people of BALL, if you talk about them! (In my view, interviews really are not about you ... they are about what you can do for them/their company!) How do you do that?  You invest time to learn about them, and their interests.

 

Today's tip comes from Mitch Schneir, a top notch recruiter within EMC's RSA Security Division.

Always do research when preparing for an interview. Start off by searching the web for the company home page, LinkedIn, industry sites, and bing.com to name a few.  While searching a company’s home page read about the products, customers, job openings, white papers, profiles of the Board Members, as well as the Management team and don’t forget press releases. Press Releases are very important because it will provide you names of key employees, competitors, and industry experts that you can then research and find more information about.

All this information gives you a good insight into what the company does, what their products do, what they are known for, what they have done in the past, and what they plan to do in the future.  This will help you during your interview when you are asked “What do you know about us?  This will also help you with questions you will need to ask at the end of the interview about the company and/or the interviewer.  It helps you find out who the players are and where they come from.  Take advantage of this information and research all the names. 

LinkedIn will give you insight into the person’s background, personally and professionally. Research who they are connected to, what groups they belong to, what blogs they subscribe to and who recommended them.  The better educated you are about the interviewer and the company; the better your position will be in the interview process.

If you, or a friend, are an engineer looking for a new opportunity, Mitch has some terrific openings right now within our hot security division in San Mateo, RTP North Carolina, and Bedford, Mass. (details below).

For anyone looking for a job, this site is a MUST -- it is a live, easy-search listing of every one of EMC's job openings by category and location.

Note: I am not a recruiter. My interest in sharing these tips is that I think they are topical, can be helpful to others, and if they happen to put EMC on the radar of some amazing talent -- this is goodness too! Everyone should be in the business of connecting with great talent and I can't help but notice we have a ton of openings.

-------------------- Talk Back ---------------------

What are your best Interview Prep tips?

Have you used LinkedIn or other research tools to get to know your interviewer's work and perspectives, as well as those of the company?

A friend of mine, a VP at a high tech company, loves to tell the story of how she ended up hiring her Operations Director.  As a candidate, the individual researched the VP and discovered she was a member of certain professional groups, as well as passionate soccer player.  As a result, they were able to make some immediate connections. The hiring VP was impressed with the extra effort made and the up-to-date skills this candidate displayed. It helped seal the deal.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

Mitch's current openings:

44466BR – Bedford, MA - Senior Software Engineer, This is a position is great for someone that wants to combined their creative side and technical side.  Here is your opportunity to work on an engineering team developing the GUI front-end for RSA’s  state of the art product “Authentication Manager”

44474BR – RTP, NC – Senior Partner Engineer – Are you a technical person that likes to talk with customers, does your background include software development, implantation, training, and/or technical support. If you said yes then check out this opportunity it could be the next step in your career

44159BR – San Mateo, CA – Manager, Software Engineering –
44150BR – San Mateo, CA – Senior Software Engineer -
Here the chance to work on one of the hottest product in the security industry today, DLP (Data Loss Prevention) the most important component to DLP is identifying what documents would be considered sensitive versus non-sensitive. Come join our team of experts in building different automated categorization technologies to achieve the highest rates of accuracy. 

The Career and Get a Job Tip Series: Post #2 "The Interview"

I recently sent a note out to our recruiting organization asking them for their top tips for job seekers. 

Seriously, how many people know how job search works these days?  In this market, with modern day tools, etc. etc.

Reading through their tips is fascinating!

I'll share the ones that struck a cord with me -- followed by the Recruiting Management's Team Top 5 Picks.

Today, I'll share the tip that EMC Recruiter Mark Walsh provided on "The Interview." I loved this tip because it works for people moving around inside a company as well as those on the outside.  It should help you understand the "real deal" on the job, as well as avoid that terrible moment I've seen too many times when the candidate doesn't seem to have questions to ask the interviewer.

What do you say on the Interview?
Mark Walsh's "Road map for Success" Tips:

• As soon as possible in an interview with EACH person ask, "What is your idea of what the job is?"  
  
  
• Right after question 1, follow up with, "What skills are needed both technically and personally for someone to be successful in this position? "   

• Third question, to set up the interview for success, "What have you seen in candidates that you like and what have you disliked?" 

According to Mark, "This gives a road map for success in the interview - gives the view of the job - what is needed to be successful - then what to stay away from."  He said the questions have evolved over his 20 years of recruiting, and that many people have told him they wished they had these tips earlier in their careers.

By the way, Mark is currently looking to fill a Technical Marketing Manager position in Cambridge (#37012BR). You can search for more information about this job, and all of EMC's current openings here.

------------- Talk Back ----------------

What do you think of these tips?

I loved this guidance because most job openings I've been involved with generally come with not fully-defined elements.  Questions like this can let you know how clear the organization is (or isn't) on the actual job. It can indicate if the manager has his/her act together and that, if you get hired, you would be left to figure everything out, or be set up for success.

Don't get me wrong, I love ill-defined jobs (all the better to shape them myself!). I just like knowing that the job is ill-defined before I show up.

I also love these questions because they follow a strategy I like to use with marketing.  Simply, "find out what the target market wants, and work to give them that."  It helps ensure you meet the mark.

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers
http://www.emcfacebook.com

The Career & Get A Job Tip Series: Post #1

This morning I presented to room of 100 summer interns -- and a few recent new college hires -- on some of my favorite subjects, "Careers, Culture and Cool."

My goal was to provide them one or two gems that might help them in their careers -- and help them get a job once they graduate from college.

To put their current opportunity in context, I shared that only about 20% of college grads this year got jobs after graduation.  Of all the people that applied for a summer internship position at EMC's headquarter campus, only 5% got in. 

I'll share my tips with you -- but first, let me share Rachel's.  Rachel managed to be one of the 20% of grads to land a job this year. And, she also managed to get into EMC's ultra elite Marketing Leadership Development Program.  She sent me these tips this afternoon saying that her job search experience is still so fresh in her mind, she thought these tips might help someone else out.

Rachel Rosenfeld's "Get a Job" Tips for College Seniors

 

1. Start your job search NOW. Don't wait for the fall career fairs and recruiters to come to you. Do your research now and know ahead of time what careers interest you. Doing so will save you a lot of time at career fairs, recruiting events, and so on.

 

2. Be proactive. Send recruiters your cover letters, request more information on a position that interests you. Building contacts and getting your name out there early-on will make you more memorable, and desirable as a potential candidate for an interview.

 

3. Use your network. Leverage your professors for contacts and openings in positions that interest you. The contacts you build at school (professors, advisors, coaches, career counselors) are valuable resources and you should take advantage of it! Get to know them, get their advice, and use it to guide you through the job search. They may even set you up for an interview!

 

4. Don't jump on the first offer, even if it seems great. Weigh out your options, wait, and make an informed, smart decision. If the company wants you, they will give you a grace period before you must except the offer. Don't cancel all scheduled interviews just because you made it through round one of interviews with a great company. Keep your options open, and do it professionally. When a recruiter asks you who else you are interviewing with, tell them.

 

5. Be professional. Shockingly, I saw individuals dressed in jeans and a t-shirt walking around a campus career fair and speaking with recruiters. DO NOT DO THAT.  Remember etiquette. Make a business card with your information to give to recruiters, always send a thank-you email or card after an interview or meeting. Obey professional dress codes, speak professionally "totally, cool, yup" and other informal language should be avoided when making a first impression.

 

Rachel ended her note to me with this comment, "I am fortunate to be one of 20% of college graduates to have a job, and in a position that I love."

---------------------- Talk Back --------------------

Do those tips resonate with you?  What would you add if giving get a job tips in today's market to the college set?

By the way, Rachel has only been with EMC for about 5 weeks. If this proactive type of value-add participation is any indication of the type of engagement and passion she brings to the job, she will thrive here!  Smarts, passion, energy, caring, winning, and exceeding expectations are the stuff this place is made of.


- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson
http://twitter.com/emccareers

Does an MBA Degree Matter?

During a book interview tonight on modern-day great companies, the author/professor asked about the relative importance of MBAs to EMC. 

The answer, delivered by an EVP, made me smile -- as it supported my own observations.

The answer was, "We don't get hung up on MBAs or other such trappings here."

Contrast that Real-World Answer with this:

Two twenty-somethings shared with me in the past six months news that they were going to quit their well-paying jobs -- jobs where they were well-respected and thriving -- to go to grad school.

"Why?! I hope it isn't to meet some societal impression that you're not worthy until you have an MBA or a Law Degree," is what I wanted to say.

What it is like where I work.

At EMC, I have found that you get respected for what you bring to the table. Once you're in the door, we don't care about what school you went to, your major, or the degree you obtained. We look at how you think, how you solve, and how you make things happen.

If you have to learn something new, we expect you to do that. If you want to get even smarter than smart on a subject, we love that too.  In fact, we make it easy to do this  -- we have the #1 learning and education offerings in the world in high tech. (Training 125 results places EMC in the top 5 rankings across all industries, globally, for the past 3 years.)   At HQ, we even offer an on-site MBA taught by Northeastern.

If you think an MBA will earn you a ticket to greatness, I think you are likely mistaken.

At least, that is the way at EMC.  Your MBA or other advanced degree, will hopefully  make you smarter and thus better at delivering results.  If it doesn't, it was a waste of your time and money.

If you're thinking about how to get ahead and perform better, consider looking first at "the diamonds under your feet."  Network and volunteer to work on projects where you can learn more.  Seek out people who can teach you things. Take a course at the company university. Use their tuition reimbursement offerings, if they have them (EMC reimburses $10K per year.)

If you're wondering if you should quit, and presumably get in debt, to get an extra degree -- please ask yourself "why am I really doing this?"

When I went to look for some stats on this subject (via near all-knowing and quick Google), all the data seemed a bit dated, none caused me to change my mind. 

Granted, if you don't have a job and feel you have no hope for finding a job in today's market, that could be another discussion.  The EVP in tonight's interview also added that he believed MBAs are more worthwhile once the person had been out of school for a few years (and could better appreciate and apply the information.)

---------------- Talk Back -----------------

If someone is performing exceptionally well, before you give them a raise or a new assignment, do you check and see if they have an MBA? 

Full disclosure:  I do not have an MBA. I have taken advanced education courses at Harvard, MIT, IMD, Boston College, Duke, The Center for Creative Leadership, Babson, and EMC's University. Of these, a week-long, "Sustaining High Performance" class with my global company peers at IMD in Switzerland, and a week-long "C-level" course at The Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado (were I was in a small class with a 4-star General, a CIO, and a few CEOs), were my stand-out favorites. My best education continues to come from being part of this place, where my brain cells get to hop about in an espresso-like caffeinated state daily (and I get to benefit from the MBAs and PhD's I get to work alongside of!).

- Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com

 

"The Start-up Within ..."

What is the value of being part of EMC?

 

Soon after EMC added several software companies on the West Coast to its family earlier this decade, EMC's recruiting organization was tasked with attracting and hiring over 300 top-notch software developers into a newly formed software division (now known as the Content Management and Archiving Division).

DATELINE: March, 2006: The head of recruiting gave me a call asked for my help in shaping the conversation the recruiters had when presenting the EMC opportunity to the talent market.

To tackle the best way to convey EMC as a place to work, we decided to interview software developers to get their view.  We interviewed developers who recently accepted a position with EMC's software division; who refused a position with EMC's software division; and who have worked at EMC in software development for some time.  We asked them questions such as:

- What aspects of EMC did you find appealing?
- What aspects of EMC did you find unappealing?
- How would you describe the ideal situation/job for a software developer?
- How would you describe EMC as a place to work to a peer who worked elsewhere?

This ended up being one of my favorite projects.  I've worked in high-tech nearly my entire career and still, this little research project taught me so much. I won't say that the research was industrial-grade quality or that every element stands the test of time. But it did serve to validate some assumptions and cast new light on a true, compelling value of EMC as a place to work.

So what were the findings? Let me jump to the "unappealing" perceptions before I go to the appealing and the ultimate discussion point when seeking to engage people in the value of being part of EMC.

The Unappealing attribute perceptions:  There was a fear of the unknown. They were concerned about process at such a big company and the work challenge, in particular.

The Appealing attribute perceptions: EMC's company strength, inclusive of management, strategy, finances, viability, benefits, resources, market leadership and people.

The Ideal situation:  Technical challenge and an environment with technical management, freedom and flexibility, honesty, friendly, high-energy teams, technical resources, celebrations & rewards, visibility for work and a variety of challenges from which to learn and grow.

Many described EMC in quotes similar to this:  "EMC is a place where multiple, cutting edge projects are taking place -- all fueling growth and a differentiated strategy," and this: "EMC offers the challenge, career advancement, energy and freedom of a start-up."

Netting it all out:

"The Start-Up within ... a $10B+ Global Leader."

"At EMC, you experience the flexibility, freedom, and energy of a start up,
but with the resources and opportunities that a global leader brings."

In the subsequent years, we explored more deeply what EMC brings to the table as a place to work -- such as the ability to innovate every day -- you can find out more about that at EMC.com/careers and you can listen to folks, many of whom come from companies once acquired by EMC, on EMC's Career site on YouTube. There, you'll also hear words that get reflected across every product group and organization within the company -- like "passion," "energy" and "drive" in a "dynamic" environment. As one person said, no two days here are ever alike!

-------------- Talk Back ---------------

What's your ideal situation in a place to work?



Polly Pearson
18 years with EMC
"I signed on intending to stay for one year. It has never stopped being interesting or inspiring. My role here has changed as often as I've wanted. For me, that's fun."
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

Workplace Culture: "If you can see it, do it."

Culture at EMC

About eighteen years ago, in my first week working at EMC, I asked the head of my department this question, "How do I become successful at EMC?"

I love that the answer he gave that day is still so appropriate.

He said, "If you see an opportunity to do something, ask if you can do it and chances are they'll say 'Yes.'"

An even more up-to-date version of this, thanks in large part to social media tools and EMC's 2.0 management philosophy:

"If you can see it, do it."*

There is ALWAYS opportunity to jump in and work on something here, regardless of how it fits into your official day job. 

My colleague Dave Spencer, wrote a post on this today sharing a bit of his story and other observations he had while at EMCWorld. Below is an excerpt:

"A while back I told Polly one of the things I’d tell a new (or potential) employee about EMC is that there’s always something that needs doing that isn’t being done, and that if you can find a way to do that, you’ll always have a place here.  It’s never been more true, or more easy, than it is today.  I can’t imagine this is unique to EMC, but I certainly admire the way which EMC has allowed and encouraged us to explore those opportunities."

Dave was kind enough to sit down with me a couple quarters ago to answer the question, "What inspires you about EMC?" This is one of two clips we posted to the EMC Careers channel on YouTube with his answers.You can get to know Dave a bit better and hear more on this in the short clip below. (At 1:19 he talks directly to this subject of this post.)

* The only caveat, deep in the code of the EMC Culture, is that you continue to execute your official job inclusive of meeting all your goals. Anything you wish to do on top of that is essentially an open door.

--------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

What's your story? Are you doing things at work because you saw an opportunity and jumped in?

The Relevance of New Fortune 500 Rankings and other Cool Recognition

I like EMC's upgrade on the FORTUNE 500 list!  By jumping from #201 to  #172, EMC is now "A FORTUNE 200 Company." Nice ring!

In related news ...

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article on FORTUNE 500 use of social media (inclusive of a snazzy quote by EMC's Chuck Hollis). Can you believe only 81 of the F500 have company sponsored blogs? Of those, only 23 have a company sponsored Twitter address linked to their blogs.  EMC, gladly, is in that elite list of 23.* 

Are more than 4/5ths of largest companies in America not aware of the shift to social media and blogs as a primary means of on-line communication -- now more popular than email? [See this Nielson report.] Or are their lawyers & leaders fearful of Web 2.0 to the point that they find it preferable to NOT engage the way customers and other business-generating communities wish to communicate today?

Other recognition I liked includes this NY Post article from last week on Employee Engagement. It profiles EMC's use of social media as especially beneficial for employee engagement and business value during an economic downturn.

Lastly, I don't think I ever called out Mashable ranking EMC as a Top 40 Brand on Twitter.

What's the point beyond "Hurray for EMC?"

Relevance.

The business climate is tough. In times like this you want to partner with companies that feel "safe," right?  But what made a company "safe" won't keep it safe.  All companies need to adapt. A FORTUNE 500 company that shows it can embrace new communication and engagement models -- and turn them into business leverage is a good thing. And, just maybe, such a company is also worthy of getting cozy with.

--------------- Talk Back ---------------

Is it important to you that companies you depend upon (financially or otherwise) show an ability to lead, adapt, and in this case, embrace emerging communication models?

Why do you think so many FORTUNE 500s are hesitant to embrace social media as a means to engage with talent, customers, prospects, investors, and more?

*Many of our bloggers can be found on EMC.com/community where you can also find EMC's FriendFeed inclusive of our Twitter accounts  such as @EMCCareers, @EMCWorld and @EMCCorp.

Tough Times, Tough Jobs, and Blooming Flowers

I was asked recently to think of the worst job I ever had.  It came immediately to mind. Oddly, I then found myself smiling.  When I look back, it ultimately was the best job I could have had.  It made everything that came after (like the expectations and pace that comes with working at EMC!) seem like a pleasure trip in comparison.

Okay, can't use that job to answer the question.

I then thought of the next toughest job I ever had.  A form of rage filled my head just thinking about it because it involved working for someone I didn't connect with.  But again, I then found myself smiling.  Looking back, working for that person benefited me more than most other positions I've held.  In that role, I learned -- grudgingly at the time -- about work styles and the value to my work product that comes from someone who approaches problems differently.

Okay, can't use that one either.

This realization, I believe, carries over to the current tough time in the economy.  Most of us are being impacted personally by this point.  Those of us who lived through the last recession, however, are better prepared and less phased by the current unfolding.

That old saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," comes to mind.

...As does the powerful observation that an "Unfolding Flower" could also be considered a "Blooming Flower."

photo: sarah girard

Something to consider.

----------------- Talk Back -------------

Was there a tough time in your life that you now see as a growth period -- a blooming -- for your personal development?

My first tough time was in the 7th grade. I got "kicked out" out of my group. This was a group of girls who sat together every day for lunch, all other school activities, and hung out in general. On being "kicked out," I only had about 15 minutes to line up another group to sit with before the lunch bell, else risk total humiliation.

I saw that "girl" who kicked me out just recently. Of course she was really nice to me, and we didn't discuss the kicking out part.  Like the memory of my tough boss, my brain still fills with a bit of rage at the thought of this 7th grade pain. But again, I smiled when I saw her. Because of her, I ended up with the best friends of my life.  Many of the girls I ended up sitting with that day have been through every major life curve and thrill with me for the past 30 years. They were the friends I was meant to have.

Getting kicked out in the 7th grade also gave me an experience that shelters me from fear of ever getting unceremoniously "kicked out" again. It might happen to me one day. I won't like it, but at the same time I know I could handle it if it did. Been there -- and I'm stronger for it.

 

How I got hired ... Brands ... and the Boston Marathon

When I first interviewed at EMC, there was a recession happening in the US; EMC was laying off employees, the concept of hiring recent college grads was far from in vogue; and I had no legitimate experience for the job I hoped to land.

How did I get in?

The Boston Marathon comes immediately to mind.

To help convince the marketing department at EMC that they needed to hire me, I waged a PR campaign. Every couple of days something new would arrive at their offices which I hoped would get them buzzing, curious, and wanting more.

One of the campaign elements was a giant map of the world with a pin point over Hopkinton, Mass.  I wrote something that suggested that with me doing PR for EMC, Hopkinton would be on the global map for people due to EMC, as well as for the Boston Marathon.  (That was a bold concept as EMC was fairly small and little known at the time. Today, if you Wikipedia Hopkinton, it appears, however, the prediction came true. Wink.)

For the notion of brand-drafting and more, I love having EMC associated with the Boston Marathon. They are two enduring brands suggesting "the ultimate" in their space. They require passion, drive, mental determination, and the guts to do what many others would fear attempt. They are not for everyone -- but for those who have what it takes, there is no equal.

This week marked the running of the Boston Marathon. People pack elbow to elbow, helicopters hover overhead, VIPs make speeches, and photographers work to capture the electric mood and the gigantic scale of the packed crowd. 

 

EMC made the Marathon our own this year. We hosted in our homes, and celebrated in our headquarters, about 30 employees and customers who trained, and flew in from around the world to run this race. EMC athletes from Hong Kong to Brazil took part.

 

 

This week also marked a series of cool awards for EMC in the space of being a great place to work for the college-aged set -- Collegegrad.com named EMC a best employer for new grads, interns, and masters grads alike. (If you want to apply to EMC or connect with others about working there, check out www.emc.com/careers and the EMC page on Facebook.) 

EMC's college grads have long been making EMC their own. They're doing work other companies might say "falls beyond their years in the business."  They're helping to set the pace for the industry and the bar of what can be achieved. And they're also doing stuff that makes EMC just cooler to be part of. For example, a recent Marketing new college hire is behind a space at EMC HQ called "The Square." It has a Starbuck's-like coffee bar for lattes, hot soups, and healthy-foods to go. It has a large flat panel that broadcasts CNN, CNBC and happenings like the induction of a US President. It has a store where you can buy EMC gear, 500 gig home networked storage equipment, and candy bars. And it has a large gathering space with upbeat music where business meetings are a bit more personal, where the social media crew can hold Tweetups, and where we celebrate events such as a book launch dedicated to EMC Working Mothers and an Open House dedicated to our EMC Marathon Runners from around the world.

Where You Have to Run to Keep Up

In the realm of happenstance brand affinity and an anecdote so perfect for this post you'd think it was scripted...

A few weeks ago I asked a colleague who also joined EMC as a recent college grad about 20 years ago, "If you were a recent college grad evaluating all the top companies today, do you think you'd still choose EMC?"  His reply, "Absolutely. The culture of EMC is such that you have to run to keep up." The statement was finished with a wide smile and a head nod-- a gesture that said, "and man, that type of environment is exhilarating for folks who get into this type of pace and stimulation. 

--------- Talk Back ---------------

Would you still pick your company as the place for you today?

Think back to those days you were interviewing at your company. Were you lucky enough to have your vision come true?

If not, check out some of the amazing job search and career help blogs today. A few that I'm aware of, and visit often due to my day job at EMC, are:

http://www.brazencareerist.com/*

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/jobs/*

http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/

http://www.cheezhead.com/

http://lindseypollak.com/blog/

http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/

http://alltop.com/*

http://www.downtownwomensclub.com/dwc/index.php

 

*Note: These blogs/sites  marked with an (*) syndicate my blog.

Photos from HopkintonMarathonCommitte.org and NuzhatMKarim.

 

Employee Engagement Case Study in Action: Social Media to the V-Max!

Today, I believe, could mark a milestone for the case study of Employee Engagement in the Enterprise; where employees themselves, in record dimensions, are building and branding careers, culture and cool.

Such voluntary,passionate actions from employees at every grade level can't be schemed or concocted, or even effectively paid for.    

See this Tweet that just came from fellow EMCer Dave Spencer:

davidkspencer@pollypearson What's cool is I can't imagine working at a company that didn't engage bloggers/etc like this. How far things have come.

Where the Goals of Both Company and Employees Meet:  Social Media

Currently, EMC's internal social media platform -- a fully opt-in, mostly viral platform for employees to be heard, do what they love, be intellectually stimulated ,connect and collaborate with others in alignment with our company's strategy, and most everything else "good" is being enjoyed over 4.6 million times per month. Over 50% of our employees have crossed the 2.0 chasm and are actively participating every month. 

Once employees get a hang for how this 2.0 stuff works, they tend to find "their voice and have a greater understanding of the compelling value they can bring." What happens next? Many go outside the firewall. They contribute to the global discussion about your company and your products. They support one another. They become even more engaged along the way. 

• See EMC's Community of Bloggers on EMC.com
• See EMC's posted Social Media Links on that EMC.com Community page, such as FriendFeed listing all the engagement on today's launch
• And Wow! See all the EMC folks & fanatics on Twitter  (wefollow.com/tag/emc): 8,600+!! 

Today, Barry Burke of EMC is blogging all day about a product launch that, you'll see, he's hugely passionate about (I love the bootleg video he took!) and which is also highly strategic and compelling for our company.  On his blog, he's keeping a running list of all the blogs other EMCers are writing about it. 

 

------------ Talk Back ---------------

Can you feel what is happening here?  Brand and Product Marketing fully unconnected with size of budget or number of people "officially" tied to a given job task.

Great for the CEO, shareholders, customers, and employees alike. Maybe a bit painful for competitors. Bonus!

How cool is that?  

Avoiding Social Media Overload: A KISS, 3 Step Guide to Getting Started

Question #2:

 

The second most common response I get from business people to the concept of social media is one of “overload.”  Terms and sites are swirling in their heads. It is hard to know where to start – and why you would really want to.

 

The following is a “Keep It Simple 3-Step Guide to Getting Started.”

 

You can do this in less than 5 minutes.

 

Step 1:

Consider a business objective. Pick one that you like from the list below, or come up with one of your own.

 

Examples:

 

“I want to leverage the expertise I have to establish more interactions with prospects and customers and help my company accelerate time-to-revenue.”

 

“I want to be even better at what I do.”

 

“I want to have a Plan B, just in case I get laid off.”

 

“I want to change careers.”

Step 2:

Match the most popular social media tools to your business objective.  

Do a Google search or ask around what the top social network tools are for your business objective.

 

To make it easy, pick from one of the following options:

 

If your objective relates to expanding your network – providing yourself a cushion of contacts in case you lose your job, join LinkedIn.

 

If your objective relates to your current, or desired professional area of expertise, and you’d like to start getting to know industry thought leaders and prospects/customers in this space, join Twitter. 

Step 3:

Find a 20-something, or someone else who you know that talks about social media and ask them for a couple of minutes of their time to show you a few tips on the network you just joined (keep them focused; they might get excited and scare you away!). 

OR

 

Do a Google search on “How to Use Twitter,” “How to Use Twitter Search,” and/or “How to Use LinkedIn.”  The search results might be a bit dated given the pace of change and discovery here – but they’re likely good enough for now.

That should get you going!  Now all you have to do is spend just a bit of time on one of the networks and see what it can do for you. The more you give, the more you’ll get. Ask along the way – people like to be very helpful in “social media world.”  If you don’t like it, quit!

 

Recap: 

Step 1: Pick an objective.

Step 2: Pick a social network that fits your objective.

Step 3: Ask a human or ask Google how to use that tool.

 

-------------- Talk Back ---------------------

Was this KISS-enough?

Did it pass the overwhelm screen?

Question #1: Isn't Personal Branding Vain?

"The thought of Googling myself makes my skin crawl."

My prior post covered what I see as the top questions/reservations coming from business people on the subject of social media. The number one concern I hear has to do with taking the big jump into a pool that strikes many as overly self promotional, vain, unprofessional, or simply too revealing for comfort.

All understandable points.

Consider the flip side.

Would you go to an important meeting or an interview without first looking in the mirror?  You would want to know you look okay, and fix anything that might be out of place, right?

Today, "Google is the New Mirror."

What do you look like?  Not knowing could be like walking into an Interview with your fly down and spinach in your teeth.

When someone Googles your name (it could be a customer who wants to know what your track record is before they meet you; it could be an entity that wants to partner with you; it could be a company who is considering hiring or featuring you), what do they see? 

• Do you even show up on the first page of Google search? 

• How hard do they have to work to find you? 

• The longer it takes them to find you, the more of a non-entity you might seem to be. 

• What if the first listing under YOUR name is a photo of a Tequila swilling 40-something? A convict? A person who is the antithesis of you ... or of someone whose resume is close enough to yours to be confusing?

Is it professionally courteous, expedient, or responsible not to know what you look like to others?

 

Last year I had as radio guests on EMC's Visual Talk Radio Show Barbara Massa, EMC's head of North America Recruiting operation and Dan Schawbel, both author of the new Personal Branding book, Me 2.0and EMC's resident social media specialist.

A take away from this program is that matching talent to opportunity today is a branding two-way street. 

Opportunity needs to be able to know about You and what You stand for. 

You need to know about Opportunity and what it could mean to You/Your business. 

Today, you expect every entity to have a presence on the web.  You want to research every hotel room, baseball bat, pair of jeans, house and technology gadget before you decide. If something is not on the web, it must not be significant enough to be worthy of your consideration, right? 

Guess what? That's what the world expects when it comes to talent/people/partners.  They want to research you on-line before making the next step.  If you're not on-line, you likely are not significant enough to be considered.  Ouch.

Barbara noted the funny twist that exists today.  No one expects a young person to have a presence on the web. They're just starting out and their careers are likely far from remarkable.  Everyone expects senior people to have a presence on the web.  They have, their resume says, launched products, turned around companies, and done other amazing things.

Only the reality is exactly the opposite. 

The young people are easily found and their credentials and claims are validated on line. The senior people are not easily found or validated.

There is no such thing as "Job Security" any longer.  What got you to where you are won't keep you where you are. 

What can you do about it?

Be relevant. Be found. Be vain if that what it takes. 

The pay off?

The larger "your brand," the larger your company's brand and the larger the opportunities that can find their way to you and to your company.

If you want to know more on this subject, Dan's book is available as of March 30, 2009. It is a super read for anyone getting started with the concept of personal branding, or anyone in the job search game.  If you can't wait for the book in the mail, check out his blog. He lives this space.

 

-------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?"

Do you exist if the Internet doesn't know you?

Do you have spinach in your teeth if you don't own your personal brand, a.k.a. your digital identity?

The 5 Ingredient Recipe for "Work Love." A Thanksgiving Gift.

I met with a (very) senior exec yesterday who said, "We all need love. Even I need love."  He was talking about love in the workplace. The kind that comes from simple "thank you's" or acknowledgments of good work.  

It brought to mind a time when I had about 450 people reporting up to me in some fashion. The highlight of my day was getting a "Daily Dilbert" in my email box. It amounted to a rare a moment in my day when something good and happy, with no agenda, was freely shared with me. (This was during the last recession, when positive or light-hearted information was "a find," and a pleasure to behold vs. dealing with budget cuts, people cuts, and "doing more with less.")

Over this past year, I've discovered a new type of Dilbert.  Something that can not only bring string-free smiles and positive feelings, but that can add business and personal benefit.

It sort of feels like a recipe for "work love." It fills the gap that no boss can fill -- while offering a boost, a feeling of connection and worth, and a source of new inspiration and knowledge to every day. 

What better holiday to share it than Thanksgiving?

The Work Love Recipe: 

"Connections with people who share a professional interest or relationship which can deliver string-free spontaneous joy." 

The regular joy you will get from these connections is better than a shot of espresso, and similar to a "great job" memo from the boss.  Simple as that.

What could a sample 5-ingredient list look like for the "Work Love Recipe?"

1. Identify areas that interest you professionally.
   
   For me, topics of interest include business strategy; use of technology to better reach and engage large audiences; culture and values; buzz marketing and PR; Business and Personal branding;  IT industry dynamics; "Best Place to Work," "Employee Engagement," and "Leadership" best practices; and breaking business news. 
   
   

      Image: Derek Farr, Flickr
   
   

2. Seek out thought leaders in these areas and read/comment on their work. 
   I set up a "Google Reader" and subscribe to several blogs for a real-time fix such as:
   
   
   http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/
   http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/
   http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/
   http://blog.buzzoodle.com/
   http://www.chrisbrogan.com/
   http://alltop.com/
   http://chucksblog.emc.com/chucks_blog/
   http://lensblog.typepad.com/ebiz/
   http://www.davidkspencer.com/
   http://blog.guykawasaki.com/
   http://stevetodd.typepad.com/my_weblog/
   http://lindseypollak.com/blog/
   http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/
   http://punkrockhr.com/
   http://realdanlyons.com/
   http://storagezilla.typepad.com/
   http://techtrends.billpetro.com/
   http://pulverblog.pulver.com/
   http://thestorageanarchist.typepad.com/weblog/
   http://womensdish.typepad.com/the_womens_dish/
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Join your company's social network.
   Read what others are saying. Join discussions. Start discussions. Subscribe to the communities you enjoy following.  You'll start discovering ideas -- and the people behind them - that turn your brain on, in a very work/professional sort of way. Many of these people will become your friends.
   
   Inside of the EMC ONE Social Network, I subscribe to the EMC Culture Talk Community.  This way I get a quick email alert when new content is posted. I frequent the Competitive Community, the HR community and the ever interesting "Watercooler".
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
4. Find and join professional networks outside of work. Networks that are both on-line and the old-fashioned face-to-face types.
   
   My face-to-face network:  TARA.  "TARA is a small constellation of diverse, influential, global women who build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships to take charge of their professional and personal destinies and help others do the same." We have an annual retreat in Belize :) and meet often in local chapters.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   My on-line networks:  These will also allow others to find you easily. I am a member of LinkedIn, Facebook, the Downtown Women's Club, and college alumni groups.

   

and one of the most interesting of all ....

1. Leverage and join Twitter.  This is a means to connect, gain value, and form relationships -- including true friendships -- with people and ideas you respect. You don't have to "Know" these people at first, all you have to do is "know of them" to be able to see personal snippets of their ideas on a daily basis.  I think of these snippets as "Brain Candy." On Twitter, people post brief, genuine thoughts (no fancy company-speak) and links to content they liked.  You can scan 10-15 posts in a matter of seconds. Click on the ones that look interesting to you. Share content you find of interest - inclusive of your own blog -- and further your personal brand and network at the same time. The mood is upbeat and supportive.
   
   I visit Twitter 1-3 times a day  generally during "downtime" segments lasting 1-10 minutes. Examples: waiting in line for coffee at the Dunkin' Donuts drive through and at the grocery store; waiting in the dentist office; walking down the long hallways at my office; during TV commercials; when I can't sleep at night; and during the all-too-rare pedicure.
   
   Some of the 200 interesting people and content I follow on Twitter:
   
   http://twitter.com/nytimes, New York Times Feeds
   http://twitter.com/jowyang, Industry Analyst
   http://twitter.com/penelopetrunk, Career Journalist, CEO, funny
   http://twitter.com/ezrabutler, Marketing and strategy guy, funny
   http://twitter.com/cheeky_geeky, Funny geek
   http://twitter.com/timoreilly, Smart guy
   http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan, Interesting, connected guy
   http://twitter.com/vendorprisey, Industry analyst
   http://twitter.com/DowntownWoman, Networking maven, TARA member
   http://twitter.com/guykawasaki, Tech, social media guru
   http://twitter.com/adamcohen, PR guy, social media and red sox fan
   http://twitter.com/JimJCramer, The one and only Jim Cramer. Boo Yahh.
   http://twitter.com/skydiver, PR connector guy
   http://twitter.com/Pistachio, Social media maven
   http://twitter.com/Scobleizer, Tech journalist
   http://twitter.com/barbaramassa -- EMCer, head of US recruiting
   http://twitter.com/kcornwall, EMCer, in Marketing on the West Coast, Mom, Funny
   http://twitter.com/SteveTodd, EMCer, Innovator in software engineering, blogger
   http://twitter.com/davidkspencer, EMCer, manager in software engineering, blogger
   http://twitter.com/billpetro, EMCer, on the road mobile device technical guy, blogger
   http://twitter.com/PeterQuirk, EMCer, neat geek, connector with great info, blogger
   http://twitter.com/gminks, EMCer, technical training, blogger
   http://twitter.com/LenDevanna, EMCer, web czar, blogger
   http://twitter.com/danschawbel, EMCer, social media PR, blogger
   http://twitter.com/NCorridanGregg EMCer, women networker
   http://twitter.com/Storagezilla, EMCer, funny neat geek in the field, blogger
   http://twitter.com/kkempskie, EMCer, corporate PR guy
   http://twitter.com/JamiePappas, EMCer, social media platform guru
   http://twitter.com/storageanarchy, EMCer, trouble maker (!), blogger
   http://twitter.com/NuzhatMKarim, EMCer, University Relations phenom

To net this all out, I feel a record amount of "work love" on the job these days. My mind is constantly stimulated and I have a huge pool of professional contacts, both internal and external, to bounce business ideas off of.  And, I truly believe, I've never been more productive. The work I've done for this past year I believe is among my very best; better for my network, my energy level and my sources of daily knowledge and inspiration. At the same time, subtracting the truly lousy economy and the job loss around us, this is about the happiest I've ever been on the job.

I'm thankful today. Thought I'd share my recipe with you.  Feel free to connect with me on Twitter to start your connections flowing.

-------------------------- TALK BACK -----------------------------

Where do you get your sense of "work love?"  Please share your tips, and/or your favorite sources of ideas or inspiration.  This networked land is still rather new to me.  Two years ago all my efforts and connections lived in a relatively small circle.  I, like many others, are trying to pick this more connected world up on the fly. Your input is most welcome.

Imagine the Possibilities.

This morning I had the pleasure of being the executive speaker to introduce EMC more fully to a class of amazingly bright and accomplished individuals interviewing for the opportunity to join EMC's Finance Rotation Program for recent college grads.

 

Among the questions they asked me:

1. What can someone like me do to help the company?
2. What will be the next be change for EMC?
3. How did you manage your career and be able to move so many times across the company?

When I came back to my office I saw this "Imagine the Possibilities"card sitting on my desk.

The art of imagining the possible and working passionately to make it happen is actually the best answer to all three of these questions. 

How so?

My answer to question #1:

Help us be better. Reverse mentor someone. You are more connected, more global, more able to move quickly and manage several things at once than many of the people you'll be working with. You're Web 2.0 savvy.  Help Gen X and the Boomers learn how to leverage social networks and new models which will allow us to collaborate, gain new knowledge, innovate and operate more efficiently around the world.

Imagine the Possibilities.

My answer to question #2: 

The change we are about to face into will be the change every technology company, and nearly every other company around the globe is about to face into. You will remember this time for the rest of your lives. How can you make your mark? What possibilities and opportunities do you see that could improve your company ... and perhaps the world as well?

Imagine the Possibilities.

My answer to question #3: 

I followed the advice my manager's manager (Brian Fitzgerald) gave to me on my first week on the job nearly 18 years ago.  "If you see an opportunity to do something, as if you can do it and chances are they will say yes."  I've used this advice constantly throughout my career at EMC. I think it could apply to any job at any company.  I remind folks that everyone is moving fast (especially a company like EMC which has a CAGR of nearly 30% since 1990). Never assume that something is as it is because someone made a grand decision to make it that way.  It is highly possible that a) No one has thought of your idea or b) No one was passionate enough about the idea to advocate for it and make it happen.  If you see something you're passionate about, and can benefit your company -- work to make it happen!  It could result in a new job for you -- one that meets your passion and adds further value to your company.

Imagine the Possibilities.

My friend Peter Quirkshared this You Tube clip with me yesterday. It is from the closing of the 2008 World Economic Forum with conductor/author/speaker Ben Zander. 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zErpOnYZZH0

 It is an inspiring piece with a new frame of mind -- one of opportunity and possibility -- for all the challenges that face us in the world today.  It is a model to make magic happen. If we're sharing this with our world leaders and the gigantic challenges they are facing right now, well, I think it can work for folks like us too.

------------------ Talk Back --------------------

In times like these, do you think companies would welcome people to think differently, freshly about the challenges we face?  Do you think they'd welcome ideas presented with passion that would make your company stronger?  Are you ready to think in terms of possibilities rather than purely of the pain that will come with the likely changes we'll all be asked to deal with? Are you ready to greet your boss with a list of opportunities in light of changes rather than a list of complaints?  Give it a try. Let me know what happens.