"To get something done a meeting should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent." ~author unknown

One of complaints I hear most often is about number of meetings people attend during any given week. It isn't only quantity, but duration and ineffectiveness that seem to cause problems. Conducting effective meetings is part of practicing effective time management and something we cover during my workshop so I thought a recap of some meeting guidelines would be helpful:

Before meeting… Create and distribute an agenda. If others are involved, get their contributions by asking them to provide 3 things: topic, time needed to discuss it and purpose. Create a level of expectation that without this information, item won't be placed on Agenda. Identify specific actions and outcomes for Agenda inclusion because this will determine who should be attend. Try to keep number of participants between 4 and 7. State when meeting will begin and end and try to honor those times.

See full color web version at: http://www.SeniorManagementServices.com/pvt-105-career-builder.html

Last week, I discussed "Success is no Accident."

My message was that according to research, most businesses fail because of "management incompetence" and solution is for management to build success into its business processes. I outlined a 7-step process for doing that.

I concluded with question:

If what I've said is true for businesses, what is true for individual employees? For employees, again, I say, "Success Is No Accident."

I call this week's PVT, "The Ultimate Career Builder." It is a logical extension of last week's topic.

============================================================ How would you answer these 3 quest'ions? ============================================================

I recently received an email that said,

"Here are some sobering numbers from M0NEY Magazine, April 2005: 1 of 4 employees age 35 to 45 and 1 of 2 over 45 have been in same job for more than 10 years!"

While we can imagine that some of those people love their jobs, I'm sure many are just plain stuck!

So, let us brainstorm three quest'ions:

What are PROBLEMS with being stuck in a job? WHY does someone get stuck in a job? HOW can you get unstuck, even promoted to a new job?

============================================================ What are some of problems with being stuck in a job? ============================================================

Have you ever been stuck in a job? I have. What are some of problems?

Boredom - job has become "old hat," same old routine day after day.

Can't stand job, looks hopeless, uninspired, can't wait to leave each day.

No chance for advancement; can't see a way out.

Not making enough m0ney; only token raises, few and far between.

Just getting by; feel like a flunky.

Feeling trapped, unappreciated, no one cares that you're doing a great job.

Loss of self-respect.

_____ (Can you think of more problems? - list them here). _____ _____ _____

All too often, employees must learn their jobs from other employees or they are forced to depend on muddled, out-of-date printed instructions.

Often, there is little or no training. Often, employees don't even know when they have done a good job. What may be acceptable one day is unacceptable next because boss is having a bad day.

============================================================ WHY do people get stuck in a job? ============================================================

Again, let's brainstorm some possible reasons.

Personal atrophy and lost ambition.

Stopped learning, no advanced training.

NEEDing mo'ney, health insur'ance, and illusion of "job security".

Stick it out until things get better, better hang on to what you've got.

Can't afford to quit.

Company in stagnation, not growing, not innovating.

No time to look for a better job.

Boss doesn't like or appreciate you.

Politics instead of performance.

Not promotable.

Management not building company.

No leadership.

But, you can "retire" in just 17 more years!

_____ (list more reasons here). _____ _____ _____

Sure, job of management is leadership. And, management should take responsibility to discover barriers that prevent employees from taking pride in what they do.

Employees know what these barriers are:

Emphasis on quotas and numbers instead of quality.

Emphasis on speed instead of quality.

A deaf ear to employee's suggestions, stifling creativity.

Too much time spent on rework.

Poor tools.

Problems with incoming materials, etc.

Of course, one of reasons people get stuck is they BELIEVE they have a dead-end job -- instead of an opportun'ity to grow.

But, I say one of main reasons is that employees protect their job by keeping how-to-do-it a se'cret. This tactic may make you irreplaceable, but simultaneously, it makes you unpromotable! You can't be promoted until you can be replaced!

============================================================ HOW can you get unstuck, even promoted to a new job? ============================================================

Let me say again. You can't be promoted until you can be replaced!

Unless and until someone can take over your job, that's where you'll stay, all things being equal. But, here's what you can do.

Whether you're a shag boy, supervisor, manager, or executive -- instead of thinking of yourself as your Job Title -- think of yourself as someone committed to Business Development.

That's right! Effective immediately, you can develop and apply Business Development techniques to get unstuck.

To do this, you will need to work ON your business as you work IN your business. At first, your mind may resist this whole idea of Business Development.

"I don't know how!" "I don't have time!" "Why should I care, it's not MY business!" "I am working too hard as it is!" "Why should I? My boss won't appreciate it!"

I understand. But for n0w, assume your business is your job. So, instead of being a _____ (Job Title), your job is n0w Business Development. N0w, you can take same 7-step process (below) I suggested last week and apply them to your job.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Assess current conditions to determine where you want to go (call it market research if you like).

2. Communicate your intentions (promote your purposes)

3. Organize resources for producing your product

4. Produce your product.

5. Qualify your product.

6. Distribute your product.