According to a Gallup Survey only 36% of Managers and Executives are engaged in their job.  51% are not engaged, and 13% are actively disengaged.  Wow!  

Workload and relatively flat earnings play a role.  Too many companies promote a view that everyone is replaceable.  But the survey found that the main driver was the boss.  “Managers from hell” are costing the US economy from $450 billion to $550 billion annually.

The survey also found that those who work off-site 20% of the time are more satisfied.  Why is that?  There are a number of surveys all confirming these findings.  We take two calls to action away from them:

1. If you are not engaged, or actively disengaged, what are you going to do about it?
2. If you are the boss, do you really know how your team feels about you and your leadership style?

Through our work we have met many executives who were desperately hanging onto a job they were not even sure they wanted.  Invariably their family feels it, and you can even see it in their faces.  So why do they stay?  One reason is that they do not know what else they would, or could, do.  Another is that “bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”  Neither are solving the core problem.  

Our society and workplace are evolving so fast that many new opportunities exist.  Talent and experience are more portable than ever before, as are ways to “get current” for different roles.  So, do you want to stay where you are as long as you can — or do you at least want to understand your options?  While you are pondering perhaps you will appreciate this poem:

If a man (or woman) does not keep pace with their companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Let him (or her) step to the music they hear, however measured or far away.

Henry David Thoreau

Link to survey:  http://theweek.com/article/index/246084/why-most-americans-hate-their-jobs-or-are-just-checked-out

– Jim Deupree

Some of you know that along with my love of cooking, wine and travel I am also a car guy.  My career began as an automotive engineer, and I appreciate the constant evolution of styling and engineering.

So I had to chuckle when reading a Car and Driver article about the 40th birthday of the BMW 3 Series.  It has won top car honors more than any other car, and built it’s reputation being agile, nimble and sporty.  Now, as they report: “The 3 series has put on weight over the years.  It’s gotten softer.  The creep of technology and features that have nothing to do with driving threatens to overwhelm the car, just as the pressures of family and finance leave us in a fog, wondering how, exactly, we arrived at this point in our lives.”

Too much introspection for a car magazine?  Perhaps.  Two things struck me.  One is the similarity between cars and us.  As we look in a mirror and reflect on our own lives, sometimes it feels like our best performance may have been in the rear view mirror.  That doesn’t mean that we will not continue to enjoy driving.  In fact, we are likely to set our GPS on new and exciting destinations.  And perhaps it becomes less about the speed, and more about the journey.

The big thing that struck me is what it means to have a legacy — to stand for something.  Legacies are built on past performance, not on future promises.  They symbolize having delivered, on what is important.  The BMW 3 – series may get softer and slower, but it will always be iconic — at least in our lifetime.  With everything else changing so rapidly it is nice to pause and realize that technology does not change legacies.  They are built brick by brick through consistent values and delivery.

What will your legacy be?  And when did you begin to build it?

– Jim Deupree

I found a number of interesting points in this Yahoo! Finance article, written by a Gen X/Gen Y professional.

“I don’t consider a retirement as a time to do absolutely nothing; instead, I view it as a time when I can do more of what I want.”  What a great concept and perspective.  A time to do more of what I want — and therefore look forward to it!

“As someone who likes to stay busy, part-time work (or activities that will earn me some sort of income) will likely be part of my life until I die.  Therefore, I may be able to retire earlier than some, while still earning an income.  In the past, this may have been more of an all or nothing proposition, but with the ability to work through the internet and travel at the same time, it’s opening up a whole new retirement option … the working retirement.”   He nailed it!  When I talk with successful people, one of the things they want is a better balance of life — and getting away from being tied to a rigid schedule.  Advances in technology give us global freedom; and social acceptance of virtual meetings is here!  It is good for the ecology, and good for the people.

Trying new things.  The writer believes that “while stocks, bonds, pensions, and Social Security benefits can be strong elements of retirement finances, having something to hold onto and utilize as a way not only to possibly generate income … but to reduce expenses adds another integral part to how I hope to redefine our eventual retirement.”  

Some might call these “performing assets.”  His point is not about simply reducing expenses and living a more spartan lifestyle.  It is about deploying your assets in a way that cover some of your costs.  Many of you have a second home — which you rent some of the time to defray the costs.  Others are using new services like HomeAway to exchange use of their home (or second home) for a week or two with someone in Italy, or wherever.  Taking this to its limits means looking at deployment of your capital just as you would as a business.  What strategy gives you the greatest return — not just in income but bottom line?  Can you use some of your resources as a piece of the puzzle fueling your passions and contributing to your independence?

We are in an era, for many reasons, that provides an opportunity to think differently — and act on those thoughts. The questions continue to be how do you think differently, and when do you begin?  When you are ready to focus on those questions please give us a call — just to chat and share your thinking.

– Jim Deupree

Last week I participated in a roundtable with 50 entrepreneur CEO’s, hosted by the Oxford Center.  We spent a fascinating 30 minutes discussing what they read and new ways of learning.

What do entrepreneurs read about? Is it their industry?  No — because most of them believe they are ahead of and setting new models for their industry.  Is it disruptive technologies?  Yes — because they want to be inspired by out-of-the box thinking.  Is it leadership approaches?  Yes — because they have not had corporate training on how to manage.  Is it compliance and governance?  No — partly because they don’t know what they don’t know, and partly because they tend to avoid businesses steeped in compliance.  Is it about cultures?  Yes — they are fascinated by better understanding cultures — and not just for business opportunity reasons.  Many of them are driven to succeed for what it will empower them to do to help others.

What about those who are not entrepreneurs?  Should they take a lesson from the entrepreneurs regarding what to read?  Perhaps!  Every company needs innovation and forward thinking, so why not emulate the entrepreneurs in looking for it?  And if you are not going to be doing the same thing forever, when do you begin reading about your own chapter two?

So, where do they read?  And this is not a tablet vs. hard copy question.  Harvard Business Review was given high marks for becoming very relevant again, along with Fast Company.  The Sunday New York Times was mentioned, as were blogs brought to them via key word triggers.  Relevant books are still in vogue.

The conversation about how rapidly the world of higher education is changing was eye-opening.  Like many other parts of our culture, education is moving to just in time and new revenue sources.  One tipping point is that ROI on the cost of higher education has not met expectations the past few years — at the MBA and graduate level.  Another is the speed of business change and the specialization now desired.  Five years ago, Kennesaw State launched an innovative program customized to the needs of its corporate partners — even teaching a basket of selected MBA courses relevant to immediate challenges and needs on the company’s premises.

Now if you need to know more about a particular topic for a new initiative or opportunity  you can go to www.coursera.org, featuring courses led by top professors from Stanford and 62 other prestigious universities.  All of the courses are free, and you can participate from home or even on the beach.  Some are very technical, but some have broad business and personal appeal, including:

• Critical thinking in global challenges — The University of Edinburgh
• Surviving disruptive technologies – University of Maryland
• Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses – The University of Virginia
• Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence – Case Western Reserve University
• Understanding Media by Understanding Google – Northwestern University

Perhaps you wonder, as I did, why such elite universities would participate and give away intellectual capital?  It appears that there are three reasons — revenue opportunity, global exposure on a massive scale, and benevolence.  To quote Vanderbilt University: “The exploration of digital learning is representative of two key aspects of our mission – creative experimentation of ideas and concepts and as a way to enhance our goal of dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach.”

My conclusion is that what and how we learn is changing rapidly — in part because we have access to so much intriguing information and, in part, because more than ever we need to learn new things to stay relevant.

– Jim Deupree

One of the comments I hear most consistently from male prospects is “I want to work another 8 – 10 years”. What is driving that comment? Is it coming equally from men and women executives?

A friend of mine, with a great sense of humor, was about to get married and wanted to buy a home. The banker said “I understand you want a mortgage”. My friend replied NO! Only an idiot would want a mortgage. We want this house to become our home — and we understand that we need a mortgage to be able to buy it.

Men, early in the conversation, tell me how much longer they want to work. Continuing the analogy from the story above, does that mean they really want to work? No! Work is like the mortgage — it enables what they really want and need. Yes, they have more they want to accomplish and they want to give themselves enough time to accomplish it. Remaining relevant is very important, as is income. But at the top of the list is fear! Fear of “being done” and of the consequences triggered by true retirement. It is about relevance and health — regardless of age. We no longer think of retirement or even early retirement as enabling an enviable life of travel, golf and reading. Everyone seems to have a story about a family member or close friend who went downhill fast once they stopped working.

Women do not lead with how long they want to work — they talk most about wanting a better life. Their window is much shorter — typically 2-3 years and maybe even sooner. And they are bolder about just leaving, without something else lined up. They do not feel the same need to retain a title and business-centered role. They want to retain their independence, mentor other women and have more flexibility. Yet they are competitive,and need a new way to feel a sense of accomplishment beyond home and family.

Back to the men. Do the 8 – 10 year declarations seem to have some precision behind them? To be honest — not usually. Building savings is commonly a factor — yet very few know exactly how much additional savings they need or when they will be “done” on that measure. When I ask “how do you plan to accomplish working another 8-10 years?” the answers are usually pretty vague. Two conversations with Prospects last week illustrate the point. Both were senior executives, and both were caught by surprise in a massive downsizing resulting from a big change of strategy. One had moved his family twice in three years, and moving again is not an option — yet he was busy trying to save the company and did not have his own plan. The other said: “I had a plan. I was going to finish up the integration I was leading, then in two-three years think about what I wanted to do next.” My response was: “you had a vision, not a plan”.

So what do men and women have in common? Confusing aspirations and hope with a plan. A plan for having the next steps laid out — and being ready to launch those steps when needed.

I have observed how much peace our Clients and their families have once establishing such a plan, and I have witnessed too many regrets for not having one when “stuff happens”. Regardless of how well-placed someone is, or how highly regarded the individual may be within their organization, more and more factors are interrupting well-thought aspirations beyond their control. The reasons driving the desire to continue working are deep and important on many levels — identity, sense of accomplishment, legacy, family. These reasons are only filled from meaningful roles that feed the persons needs — not from just any job. You can leave it to chance, knowing that route has become more brutal even for successful executives, or have a plan!

– Jim Deupree

I have become fascinated by a story about a new product named Pebble, and how it came about.  Eric Migicovsky had a dream.  He had successfully built one of the first smart watches, paired with a blackberry.  Now he had a much more ambitious idea for a really smart watch paired with Android and IPhones.  Despite his first success the venture capital community turned him down.  He was able to raise $375,000 from friends and family, but needed more.  So he turned to Kickstarter.

Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) to me is more than a funding site.  It is a wonderful example of the power of the internet to build new communities, rally people around an enticing idea and create new distribution channels that often accomplish disintermediation.  The essence of Kickstarter is that someone describes a project, and people decide whether to send money because they like it — or sometimes because they get one of the first products.  They do not receive equity.  Kickstarter projects include movies, public art and innovative products.  The originator declares how much money they need, and the funds are not released to them until that amount has been pledged.

So Eric asked for $100,000 — offering investors only Pebble watches when finally manufactured.  A pledge of $240 got two watches, $550 got five and $1,000 got ten.  He finally cut off the funding at $10,266,845 — pledged by 68,929 backers.   Over one hundred times the amount he asked for!  He had his money, already had his customers and retained his equity.  But Pebble was still attracting other potential investors, so he began accepting pre-orders at $150 per watch.  Tens of thousands more have been ordered.  The funding allowed him to establish high-volume manufacturing from the outset, while he has the first mover advantage.  It also allowed him to utilize some very advanced components that make the product even more compelling.  The first shipments occured January 23, and they are manufacturing at the rate of 15,000 per week to fill the orders already committed. Mine is estimated to ship in March.

This success story fascinates me for several reasons:

1. It illustrates the incredible power of the internet to broadcast an idea
2. Look at the capacity to generate responses, measured in dollars
3. 68,000 people took action, invested, without ever meeting Eric

Eric’s story was well told, and compelling.  It got results — the way only the internet can deliver.  Other Kickstarter stories have not been as successful, and some have completely failed.  A well told story does get results.  Is your story compelling enough to get the results you want?

– Jim Deupree

I was talking with a fellow passenger on an airplane last week, who was telling me about one of his executives. This executive was a total workaholic. He did not take any vacations, until finally in the fall he began to take Mondays off because the company “strongly encouraged” it. When asked why he did not take his wife on a vacation he replied “why on earth would I want to do that?”

A month ago they laid him off along with a lot of other senior management. At age 61 his anguish is predictable. He has given his life to this company, and it is the only life he knows. Now he is in a real pickle. He is naturally mad, and totally disoriented. He has a lot to overcome before he is even in the right space to look for another executive position. What will he do the first day at home? The second? Will he anguish about what he could have done differently — to save his job?

Very sad — but not as uncommon as we would like to think. Yes, this executive is on the extreme side. Many of you delight in taking vacations with your wife and family. But even then sometimes business is never far away. Most of you only take a week at a time, and very few of you have taken more than two weeks in one stretch. Family vacations not interrupted by conference calls are rare. Why? Is it because the business cannot get along without you, or because like this executive you cannot get along without the business?

It brings us to a key question — whether your career is giving back as much as it takes? Some of us can really say that we absolutely love what we do and who we do it for, and that is why we choose to spend so much time there. Kudos if you are one of the lucky ones. Most are more in the camp of its a job, and its a good thing to have a job — but I don’t love it. Since 70% of Americans indicate that they plan to look for a new job when the economy improves this is likely the much bigger camp.

How do we measure whether your career is giving back as much as it takes? Part of that measure is your assessment, and part is your family’s point of view. For yourself: Are you excited about what you are doing? Are you energized on Sunday nights as you get your mind into the week? Would you want your children to follow in your footsteps? Have you made a difference? If something happened to you tomorrow would you be proud of your legacy?

Your family has different measures. Are they ever most important, or is work always the top priority? One obvious signal is whether family vacations are frequently interrupted by conference calls or other work priorities? Is the executive they see at home playful and spirited — or tense and tired? Do they worry about your health — from stress and business entertaining? Do they sense that you are doing this for yourself, or for them? Are they as proud of you as you are of yourself?

Half of ChapterTwo’s Clients are Planning Ahead. Some of them are enjoying a role that gives back as much as it takes – but accept that the best role in the world will end at some point. Some just want to do something different next — to stay fresh and energized. Some do not like their own answers to the questions above — and want to be proactive about designing a change on their terms. But they also want to protect their families and won’t leave until they have a better answer. We’ve noticed that just beginning the process of Planning Ahead reduces anxiety — which reduces stress. It becomes energizing, and results in looking forward to the future instead of fearing the future. The families of our Clients frequently thank us. One said “I don’t know what you did to my husband, but thank you and keep doing it”.

As we approach the holiday season and the time for New Year’s resolutions think about those you care about, and perhaps even yourself. Would Planning Ahead be helpful? What stops your friends from beginning that journey? We are just a phone call away, and would be delighted to expand on these thoughts and questions.

– Jim Deupree

Team Post by Maggie Anderson   

If your answer is I don’t know, don’t have one, or don’t need one … could you give me just a minute?

You Do Have a Brand – You may not be aware of it, but how you are perceived in the business world is your personal brand. The thumbnail description people give when someone asks who you are, what you do or what you are like? The question is, are you in charge of that? Are you seen, described, thought of by colleagues, prospects and potential connectors to your next opportunity — the way you want to be?

What defines your brand? – The internet is playing a bigger and bigger role in defining your brand, in two ways. The first is that it has cultivated a very rapid “thumbs up or thumbs down” mentality – and now people apply the same rapid judgment to written materials and face-face meetings. The second is that so much can now be quickly checked. This story illustrates the challenge:

A gentleman who was starting a lucrative new venture called a few weeks back for my help. He was in the process of raising capital for this new project when he had the good fortune to have two keenly interested prospects tell him straight out why they were now deciding not to invest. After both investors found his product compelling they each went to the internet to vet him and his partners. Both easily located red flags about them and just as important, did not find solid recommendations to counteract those. The red flags turned out to be relatively minor issues, and could have easily been fixed or at least neutralized. The real point of the story is that many other keenly interested investors had mysteriously dropped out without saying anything – presumably because of these same issues.

Perception is Everything

Whether what is found out about you on the internet is true or false does not matter. What matters is the perception that it creates, and even though it sometimes seems like we are living in a wild, wild cyber-world, you do have some control over that perception if you take time to focus on your brand. If you are not on LinkedIn, with a sharp profile and crisp information, you are aging yourself. How strong and relevant is your network? Do you have powerful recommendations? Are you a member of professional organizations appropriate for the role you are seeking?

Inconsistencies can be Fatal

We are living in an era where quite a number of high profile leaders have been taken out of their role because of errors in their background: Scott Thompson, CEO of Yahoo; David Edmondson, CEO of Radio Shack; Kenneth Lonchar, CFO of Veritas; and Jeffrey Papows, CEO of Lotus are among the examples. Of course they claimed these were errors from way back that somehow got perpetrated. How it happened does not matter. With the abundance of candidates, anyone looking at you will drop you as a candidate like a hot potato if they find a discrepancy in your background. You may not have even put it there — but you are still responsible.

At ChapterTwo® we go even further. Of course we want everything to be accurate, but we also want it to support what you want to do next. The ultimate inconsistency is telling people you want to do one thing, yet having the internet tell a very different story about who you really are.

About the author:

Maggie Anderson

maggiea@chaptertwo.net

Maggie Anderson is a a 25-year veteran of personal and small business branding, with a niche in social networking.  Maggie works with our Clients to help shape their personal brand, then put that brand in the marketplace by determining which online tools to use and helping our clients adopt their use.  

Recently I attended a CFO of the Year luncheon in Charlotte.  In September I will be at the Turknett Leadership Character Awards luncheon in Atlanta. More than 20 very deserving leaders are featured as the nominees at each.  Spouses, colleagues and friends fill the tables.  The energy level is very high, with a lot of cheering and applause.

As I took in the energy of the room yesterday, two realizations washed over me.  One is that appreciation remains important to most of us.  Whether it is on a big stage like these events or on a much smaller stage it always makes us smile, and stimulates extra effort.  The need and desire for being appreciated is universally one of the reasons people want to keep working.  Appreciation for people we help, problems we solve and things we build.

As I think about all of the people I have gotten to know who are looking for something different, lack of appreciation is usually central.  Significance and a feeling of satisfaction are linked in a large way to feeling appreciated.  Perhaps it is for the significance of the work — the way it helps others.  Maybe it is leaving a legacy by building something — like Bernie Marcus and the Georgia Aquarium. Or it may be a reputation for being the person “who can figure out anything”.  Whatever the driver the desire to be appreciated  is a natural reaction.  The question becomes whether our current job and position feeds that desire.  If not there is a good chance that we are not totally fulfilled by what we do.

The second realization was that many of the award winners were in their own chapter two.  One was particularly poignant.  His daughter was head of HR for a smaller company, and they realized that they needed some interim help and experience with some finance projects.  Her dad had “the right stuff” and the time, so they hired him for the project.  It worked out so well for everyone that he ultimately became the CFO, and was nominated as CFO of the Year.  He did not win the award, but talked about an even greater award — having an office right down the hall from his daughters’ and seeing every day her great work for the company.

Wanting to be appreciated is natural and healthy.  It is a key reason people keep working.  When it is missing so is satisfaction and significance.  Based on our experience, that is when you need to step out of your comfort zone, look in the mirror and think about proactively making a change — to your own chapter two.

– Jim Deupree