By John Murphy on
theundercoverrecruiter.com
So, how would you score yourself as a manager and a leader? Don’t know, or not so sure? Well, if you’re not sure, let me tell you that your people are – they are constantly scoring you! So, if you have not evaluated your own performance in a while, now is a good time to start!
I met recently with the CEO of a large company who wanted to discuss some issues that he was having with his team. He gave me a pretty good briefing about the team – their strengths and weakness, success, disappointments, how they performed individually, how they get on together etc – all great information and really important when working with the team.
However, there was one piece missing – feedback on himself as a manager a leader.
I asked him to rate himself as he would any other member of the team in terms of team management skills and leadership. Rather taken aback at such a question, he began to reflect upon this unexpected query.
Truthfully, he was pretty challenged to do this straightforward exercise – like many others I ask the same of, I have to say.
To give him a helping hand, I put a series of questions to him, which would give a fair indicator, and since he found the questions and the ensuing conversation so helpful I thought I would share the questions with you here so that you can do your own evaluation:
Question 1: How open are your people with you?
What I mean by that is, is the information flow from them on a “need to know” basis or is it free flowing? Do they admit mistakes even if the likelihood of you finding out are slim? Are they open, and I mean, without prompting,about any worries and concerns they have? Do you know what their personal, non work related goals are? What are they ambitious about? Do you know what goes on in their personal lives?
Question 2: Are they fully supportive, in a real sense, on team goals or are they only concerned about their individual ones?
When you talk to them, do they discuss how they can support other team members goals? Can you see them contributing to other team members, not just in words but in actions? Or are they only ever bothered when it impacts upon their own goals? Do they contribute to the achievement and success of others?
Question 3: How supportive are they of each other?
Is it “I’m alright, Jack!” or will you see them supporting someone who may be struggling? Do you witness them helping each other out or does it only happen when asked?
At your meetings do you just go around the table to get individual reports about performance or do you spend more time discussing how everyone can leverage what is available to achieve the overall goal? Is everyone protective about their own resources or is there a real willingness to share?
Question 4: Can you say that open and honest debate happens among your team members, or does the office politics prevail? Is it safe, as a team, to have “that” discussion about the hot topics that need to be aired? Are the sensitive issues debated openly? ? Or is the atmosphere that an “attack” is happening and the truth does not get aired? Have you clear guidelines agreed for such conversations to take place?
Really take your time to reflect because the answers to those questions will give you a good picture of your team management skills.
I know that my client now has a much better picture of his skills and where he needs to focus to improve his own performance – and, as a consequence, his team’s too!
What would your answers be? Go on, and ask yourself these same questions – and then do something about it!
By Jennifer Parris, Mashable.com
You’ve been a dutiful job seeker for a while, and finally, you’ve found a position ... that you could do blindfolded. But after you’re called in for an interview, the hiring manager utters the dreaded “o” word — overqualified. Still, you really want this position. Here’s what you need to do when you’re overqualified for a job.
Be Honest
It will be immediately obvious to your interviewer that you are overqualified for the position, and there’s nothing wrong in saying so. After all, if you don’t bring it up, the hiring manager surely will. So, have a game plan ready for when the question comes up. There are many reasons for someone to take a position that is considered below them. Maybe the job offers you the option to telecommute, which is what you need at this stage of your career. Or maybe it’s a fifteen-minute commute door to door, or a job with a company that you’ve always wanted to work for. Whatever the case, you should be honest about your intentions.
Focus On How You Can Help
All your extensive workplace experience can either help you or harm you during an interview. It’s up to you to offer some perspective to your potential boss by showcasing your skills, and then explain how those skills can help the company. Maybe you helped bring your previous company back from the brink of bankruptcy. Or, your business acumen helped seal a merger with a Fortune 500 company. Learn everything you can about the needs of your prospective company, and be ready to show how your expertise can help it accomplish those goals.
Modify Your Resume
Most people enhance some part of their resumes to make themselves look more qualified and skilled than they actually are. But when you’re already overqualified for a job, you need to do the exact opposite. Look for areas in which you can trim down some of your previous experience so that you are still qualified for the position, but not overqualified. That way, a hiring manager will most likely call you in for an interview without tossing your resume on the “pass” pile.
Offer A Commitment
The biggest fear that a potential boss faces when hiring someone who is overqualified is that he or she will get bored with the job after a while and then quit, leaving the company to start the time-consuming — and expensive — hiring process all over again. Ensure that you have no plans of leaving — sometimes employers may want you to sign a contract to confirm that you will work with the company for at least 12-18 months. But you should only sign an agreement if you’re truly willing to dedicate that time to the organization.
Take Salary Off the Table
With your expertise and experience, a hiring manager might assume you’ll want a higher starting salary than another candidates. Make it clear that your previous positions — and earnings — will not inflate your salary requirements. Stress that you are looking for a salary that reflects the job's current market value — and that you also are open to negotiation. That will help smooth the way to getting a second interview, and hopefully a cold hard job offer.
by Joel Bentley, Peer Giving Ideas
Last weekend I drove up to Whistler to watch a friend of mine trudge through mud, jump into ice cold water, and submit herself to electric shock. Not only did she do so willingly, but she actually paid for the experience. This was all a part of “the world’s premier obstacle series” called Tough Mudder. You may have heard of it. Maybe you have friends who have completed the course or have done so yourself. And while after watching the race take place I still have very little desire to complete it myself, I am intrigued by how they convinced 20,000 people to do so last weekend, and over a million to do so worldwide. Here’s why I think it works:
It’s unlike anything else
Most races are some variation of the sport x distance formula. Run for 26 miles, cycle for 100. Tough Mudder is wholly different. While there is a distance involved (10-12 miles depending on the course) it’s more about the obstacles within that course: Arctic Enema, Berlin Walls, Cliffhanger, Fire Walker — these are all names given to the 20 Tough Mudder obstacles. And the time isn’t really the point. It’s more about just finishing the beast.
The appeal to cool
Everyone wants to appear tough, and what better way to prove it by completing the toughest race in the world? This appealed to both men and women: everyone wants that sense of accomplishment. Most of us like the prospect of a challenge — so long as the challenge is one that’s within our reach.
Team spirit
Almost everyone participating in this event is doing so as a team. You pretty much have to. Without somebody to help you out, you don’t have much of a chance scaling a 12 foot wall — especially if you’re only 5’3” as my friend is. That team spirit appeals to a lot of people — you’re not going this alone. You’ve got a team to help you along.
Not too serious
Contrasting themselves from their series counterparts, the Tough Mudder website says, “As hardcore as our courses are, we meet you at the finish line with a beer, a laugh, and a rockin’ live band.” Tough Mudder happily encourages silly team costumes and name’s their obstacles with humour. Though it’s tough, they keep it fun.
An experience over a cause
An easily overlooked factor of Tough Mudder is that it is essentially a fundraiser. The profits from the event go toward Wounded Warrior Project. To date they have raised over $5,000,000, but they spend more time talking about the experience of Tough Mudder. That’s because they know their event is more exciting than a donation. When they come up with their marketing strategy they think about it from the participants’ perspective and what they want to get out of it.
The takeaways
Think about your own events and ask yourself the following questions:
1. How is your event unique?
2. What’s the cool factor?
3. How will you foster a team mentality?
4. What makes it fun?
5. What will your supporters experience?
Most of us see technology an essential tool,something that helps us do our jobs, implement our programs and reach our supporters; it is a tool that allows us to influence change. But rarely do we stop to think about technology as more than a tool, but as itself a powerful mechanism of change.
Last week’s Net Tuesday, presented by Christopher Tuckwood of The Sentinel Project and titled “Human Rights, Technology and Movement Building Around the World,” delved into this topic and explored some of the ways that new technologies present both opportunities and risks for people working on social change.
Christopher began the session by introducing us to The Sentinel Project, an organization using innovative technology to connect with threatened communities worldwide in an effort to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities. Some of their projects include the world’s online repository of hate speech, Hatebase, and the Twitter monitoring tool, Hatebot. Using these tools and others, they are currently monitoring “situations of concern” in Azerbaijan, Burma, Colombia, Iran, Kenya and Indonesia.
After introducing the work of The Sentinel Project, Christopher, posed an interesting question to the audience - “Why is technology relevant to human rights?”
As it turns out, technology presents opportunities and risks for both defenders of human rights and violators of human rights which is why, as a defender, it’s important to know how to both leverage technology to your advantage and use it for protection. Defenders of human rights can use technology to achieve a number of important objectives, including:
- Mobilizing populations
- Documenting abuses
- Maintaining freedom of speech
- Understanding a crisis
- Giving a voice to the voiceless
Interestingly, Christopher pointed out that technology has always been the means by which oppressed populations have pushed back, even before the age of Facebook and Twitter. Long before Twitter and Facebook became important tools for opposing government oppression in Iran and Egypt, the French resistance was using underground newspapers to spread their message (1940-44) and leaders of the India Independence movement (1942) relied on secret radio stations to mobilize the masses. Although the tools have changed since then, technology continues to provide a critical path for oppressed population to achieve their objectives.
Christopher was quick to point out that there are some key principles to keep in mind whenever using technology to advance human rights objectives:
Consider your audience
In today’s world, even the most remote and isolated populations have access to some form of technology. What technology is prevalent within the population you are looking to support? Do they use mobile phones/SMS regularly? Or are they more likely to check Facebook messages?
Identifying prevalent technology is the first step however, it is also important to understand the level of trust associated with each technology. For example, if it’s common knowledge that a country’s government monitors Twitter and its citizens are uncomfortable using the technology for that reason, perhaps it’s not the best tool to relay your message or offer support.
Behavior is more important than tools
Technology is a great way to mobilize large groups of people, but the only way that real change occurs is if behavior changes. Using of technology should be part of a bigger strategy to further change.
Assess and manage risks
In some cases, a tool may create more danger than benefits. Christopher used the example of Haystack, a tool that was intended to allow users to circumvent internet censorship in Iran. Unfortunately, the tool turned out to be full of security holes and could have put many Iranian dissidents at risk, had it been widely adopted.
Before using any tool ask yourself if you fully understand the vulnerabilities of the tool and take steps to ensure that users are protected.
Take a people centred approach
It’s easy for technology to take centre stage, however it is critically important that technology never becomes more important than the people the technology is intended to assist. Keep the community at the heart of your campaign.
Link technologies to real world action
We’ve all heard the term “slacktivist” - or slacker activism. Any campaign the users technology as a communication tool is bound to come up against a wall of slacktivism at one point or another. That’s why it’s important for any campaign you undertake to be grounded in the real world, with actions and outcomes that create true change. How you do this is up to you and will be completely different for each and every initiative; be sure to consider this principle early and revisit it often.
Ensure redundancy, safety and security
Security, security, security. Ensuring user safety is paramount, especially when working in human rights, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Christopher’s presentation offered a number of fascinating examples that typify the principles mentioned above, from crisis mapping in Egypt to citizen journalism in Iran.
He ended the session with a quick overview of future technologies, including satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicles and big data, that are sure to have a huge impact in the human rights space in a few short years.
If you want to learn more about the intersection of technology and human rights Christopher is offering a course on the topic. Learn more at: www.facebook.com/stopgenocide
Presentation slides: http://www.slideshare.net/techsoupcanada/technology-human-rights-movement-building-around-the-world
Recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9m1RW6Anrg
Source: techsoupcanada.ca
Excerpts from Brady Josephson's Social Fundraising Presentation shared at the Social Media For Nonprofits Conference in Vancouver on how to empower supporters to become heroes.
The Social Fundraising Roadmap:
1. Start with Story
You (the organization) are not the hero. You are the mentor and your job is to call people to adventure, help them become heroes and give them a special gift they can use on the adventure and through it all they will find something bigger, more meaningful on their journey.
2. Define Success
Choose your 1 main goal, no more than 3 objectives and select 1 – 3 things to measure per objective to show success. So at most you should measure 9 things (tops). Also, choose One Metric That Matters which is the ONE measurement that is most important out of those 9.
3. Provide Structure
What are people doing, for how long, to do what and how do they do it? That’s your job in terms of providing structure from a communications standpoint. Choosing a platform or tool that can facilitate a social fundraising campaign is also key and I recommend Peer Giving Solutions (a peer fundraising integrated site) or Chimp (a third-party site that’s easy to use and cheap). You can see a bunch of tool options in the Charity Express Tool Kit for Charities.
4. Give Support
Send reminders, encourage people fundraising, say thanks all the time, think about customer service, give examples of others and share the fundraisers stories. If you get 20 people signed up, most likely 2 will be successful and 1 will be a superstar. Your job is to get those 2 successes and hopefully more and that comes with support.
That was the “roadmap” for a social fundraising campaign and I avoided getting into too many technical things or too drilled down for two main reasons:
1. You can figure a lot of that stuff out yourself
You can quite easily find the best times to send emails, how to use social media channels, which platforms have lower transaction rates, etc. Ultimately, if you can’t create a great opportunity for people to fundraise than getting all the finer print stuff down pat will not help that much.
2. Your supporters can figure a lot of that stuff out themselves
Do you have to tell people how to share on Facebook? Should they? Your job is to fire up people to take action and hold their hand but let them have enough freedom where they can communicate their way and do what they want to do. The one exception is they must send emails if they want to raise money (often more than one).
Source: Brady Josephson, re:charity
