Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited
Return to career-consulting-limited.com
People |
|
|
 |
The Squirrel Effect
An industrious black-tailed ground squirrel has his home beneath a stump not far from my office window. I've been watching him squirrel away provisions for winter. He reminds me of people I've worked with. Starting his journey by standing tall on the stump, the squirrel hurriedly looks side to side. When he's certain it is safe he leaps into the grass, jumping then running to a group of nuts nestled beneath a medium-size pine. There he briefly pauses to make his choice. Selecting one pine nut in his teeth, he darts back to the stump with a run-jump motion. Once again standing tall, he looks for competitors or predators before quickly popping his prized provision into his nest and beginning the process all over again. Like that squirrel, people often hide what they consider important to their personal survival in the corporate world. It's called information. Hoarding bits and pieces, they act as if information alone is a work-life sustaining nutrient. The more information nuggets they have, the safer or more powerful they think they'll be. And while those nuggets might help someone survive in a corporate culture where information is a bartered commodity, long term it won't help them thrive. Here's why. They're locked in old thinking about power and success, seeing them as the ability to render authority or influence over someone or something. They think information gives them control. But rules are changing. People don't trust people who want to control them, who want to hoard what's needed for everyone's survival, or who play a corporate game where there can be just one or two winners. People withhold their ideas and discretionary efforts in cultures like that. There's a new power emerging in the work realm called trust. Trust is critical in an era where intellectual property is the competitive edge for both companies and countries. Companies need the best ideas they can get to prosper, and the best people passionately working to make them happen. Results of human intellect will bring 21st century profits to the bottom line; technological and scientific breakthroughs to the world. They'll also bring personal satisfaction and meaningful work to those involved. But to do that, information must be shared. Shared information multiples as it reminds us of the Italian proverb: "All the brains are not in one head." Here people realize lighting the next candle doesn't diminish the flame of the original one, and information is critical in lighting ideas, opening possibilities and creating new horizons for themselves and their companies. If you want to be winning at working, realize your power is in trusting and doing, not in just knowing and certainly not in hoarding. Trust builds a larger universe of relationships where a big idea comes from two smaller ones, a shared problem brings imaginative solutions, and a common vision produces uncommon results. Like the carbon atom that has the capacity to form graphite or diamonds, so do you. You will create more work diamonds operating with trust and eliminating the squirrel effect. (c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved. Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and on-line instructor. Visit http://www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com
MORE RESOURCES: US Department of Labor releases new Job Corps Transparency Report U.S. Department of Labor (.gov) Careers at FEMA FEMA.gov Jobs and careers | Veterans Affairs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs What Jobs Can You Get With a Finance Degree? | Careers | U.S. News U.S. News & World Report Careers University of Northern Colorado Navigating Opportunity: Career Information and Mobility in Low-Wage Employment American Enterprise Institute Trying to “Bring Back” Manufacturing Jobs Is a Fool’s Errand Cato Institute Careers | Career Opportunities West Virginia University Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Careers City of Ontario, California (.gov) Careers at Prairie View A&M University PVAMU Home Employment at WKU Western Kentucky University Employment Opportunities at National Headquarters The Salvation Army USA Careers at J&J Johnson & Johnson Careers Career Paths FEMA.gov Careers | Home USDA (.gov) Careers and Jobs at CRS Catholic Relief Services Employment Opportunities Alabama Department of Public Health (.gov) Careers UC Santa Cruz Work at Fairfield Fairfield University Careers - MDOT Maryland.gov Careers Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Working for ICE ice.gov So, Why’d You Leave That Job? The New York Times Careers at USCIS USCIS (.gov) Employment Opportunities | Game Commission Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Careers Johnson & Johnson Store Hourly Job Areas Target Corporation Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University Work for Us (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service (.gov) Work at Butler Butler University Jobs and Training at FDA fda.gov Explore Store Careers Target Corporation Domestic/Civil Service careers.state.gov How to change careers at 40 The Telegraph Employment | Department of Corrections Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov) Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care Careers at Simon & Schuster SimonandSchuster.biz Water Services Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Career Opportunities UMHB How to Apply FEMA.gov Careers at Willamette Willamette University Full-time jobs for students Johnson & Johnson Careers Careers BASF Jobs at Liberty University Liberty University Careers Washington State University Careers at the IOC Olympics.com Employment Services for PhD Mathematicians American Mathematical Society Early Talent programmes AstraZeneca Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them The World Economic Forum Careers and Employment Willamette University NASA Careers: Pathways NASA (.gov) Student internships at J&J Johnson & Johnson Careers Business Wire Careers & Jobs Business Wire Our Hiring Process Target Corporation Careers The Ocean Cleanup The Best Jobs in America in 2025 Money/ US News U.S. adds 228K jobs in March amidst market volatility: How investors should read the numbers Chase Bank Corporate Job Areas - Marketing & Digital Target Corporation KPMG Careers KPMG UF Health Careers UF Health Careers Store Leadership Job Areas Target Corporation Finding Your New Career at the City of Phoenix City of Phoenix (.gov) Ready for your next great job? ADP Careers Careers West Virginia Department of Education Job search KPMG Are you retiring or retired and searching for job? Here’s a guide on finding job after retirement The Economic Times Careers at Union Union College Jobs for Veterans and transitioning military VA Careers (.gov) The Gen X Career Meltdown The New York Times DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment Department of Energy (.gov) Early Careers | Students & Recent Graduates | BCG Careers Boston Consulting Group Work for the City of St. Louis City of St. Louis, MO (.gov) Current opportunities Turner & Townsend Interview Guide and Tips Target Corporation Job Opportunities Bellevue School District Microsoft mulls more job cuts, this time focused on managers and non-coders, not just low performers, sources say Business Insider Job Seekers Illinois Human Resources Gender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decades Pew Research Center RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO POLICY-INFLUENCING POSITIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE The White House (.gov) Experienced Professionals | Careers | BCG Boston Consulting Group Explore BCG locations around the world Boston Consulting Group Postdoctoral Research Los Alamos National Laboratory (.gov) |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Career Search from Within Seeking meaningful and fulfilling work can become a discouraging, confusing and overwhelming journey. Beware spending too much time looking for your answers outside of yourself. The Six Figure Job Search Before we start discussing how to search for a six figure salary job, let's set a goal. The goal I suggest is to double your income every five years. Where Do I Go From Here? Making Your Future Work Better For YouIt's the commonest concern people have about their careers. Where am I heading? Is this the right direction for me? How can I tell what will suit me best? Making good career decisions doesn't have to be agony if you clear away a few misconceptions. Cover Letter Warning: Watch Out For the BIG BAD WORD! Dear Job-Seeker:Just as Goldilocks was suspicious of the big bad wolf, be wary of the big bad word! You know the kind. Pursuant. The 10 Biggest Career Change Mistakes - And How to Avoid Them Career change is no walk in the park.If it was easy, the castle gates would have burst long ago under the stampede of restless corporate warriors. Sample Resume Objectives: What They All Tend To Miss Sample resume objectives. When a harried and possibly panicked job seeker finds one he thinks is good, he feels like the drowning man who just got rescued. Global Economy Creates Need For International Business Pros The increasing globalization of business has created a demand for MBA graduates with a specialization in the international management of business. Many institutions, including several accredited universities, offer the opportunity to earn an international MBA online. Career in the Toilet? Individuals not within their target career field may feel insecure, doubtful, or maybe even ashamed of their current job title. Career changers make up a large portion of the job-searching population. How to Write Cover Letters That Increase Your Chances of Winning an Interview Submit a poorly written cover letter and the chances are your resume will end up in the trash bin without even being looked at.On the other hand, a well written cover letter can almost guarantee you get an interview. The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Rsum Errors Writing an effective rsum can certainly be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time. Evaluating Job Offers -- Eleven Warning Signs You Must Watch Out For Moving into a new job always involves some degree of uncertainty. You should do your best to find out all you can about a prospective employer, starting right from the pre-interview stage. Cover Letter Magic: 4 Ways To ASK For The Job Interview - And Get It! Just how important it is to ASK for the job interview clearly and directly in your cover letter?IT'S EVERYTHING!So the question remains: how effectively are you ASKING? The following four ways will help you nail down many more job interviews. Try them all and see which ones work best for you. My Career is in the Doldrums - Do I Need a Coach or a Therapist? Is Monday the worst day of your week? Can you hardly remember when you enjoyed going to work? Do friends ask why you seem so down? Maybe this has been going on awhile, and you're realizing it's time to do something. But where do you turn? At one moment you tell yourself "It's just my career?Change that, and everything will be OK". Counteroffers: Should I Stay or Should I Go? If "resignation" is the word that strikes fear into all employers, then "counteroffer" is the one that strikes fear into an employee's heart. "What should I do? They've matched my offer?"It's Friday afternoon. How Hedgehogs Hire In my last column, I explored Jim Collins' "hedgehog" principle, and how powerfully this can be used to attract great employees. After many dozens of CEO interviews, I'm convinced that leaders with well-defined hedgehogs deploy the most successful hiring models. 18 Career Enhancement Caveats Core value investing in your careerMany people walk through their lives never, ever being better at something than anyone else. What is it that you know or do better than almost anyone else in the world? What is it that you do uniquely well? Do your core values for yourself and your family fit with what you are doing, where you are putting your energy, what you are developing, and where you are focusing/immersing yourself?In your career, as well as in your life, to achieve full capacity and happiness, all of you must be going in the same direction. I Just Lost My Job: How Am I Going To Tell My Kids? One of the responsibilities of a human resources professional is to let employees know that their job has been eliminated. It is seldom easy to do and often painful for the person who is hearing the news. Career Change - Creating Wealth & Happiness Whether you have a business idea or not, here's what I want you to do?I want you to take a pen and paper and go and sit somewhere quiet in your home where you will not be distracted. Get comfortable. History Reports: When Your Resume Equals, I Did This, I Did This, I Did This Do these sound familiar?"I worked for?" "My responsibilities were?" "My duties included?"Does a prospective employer care about what you "did for other companies"? Of course they do, but that doesn't mean that's what they really want to know. Conducting a job search is a marketing campaign, moreover, a sales process, not your personal history lesson. Are You an Ex-career Woman Living In a New Country? Were you once a successful, professional woman who had a significant status level and received adequate remuneration for your work?Have you re-located to a new country where the educational degree you worked so hard to achieve is neither recognized nor considered valid?As a result, have you now settled for a job for which you are overqualified and living paycheck to paycheck?If you once had a successful professional career and answered yes to the above, you probaby understand how frustrating it is, to be unable to practice your profession in a new country.The decision to immigrate to another country is a courageous act which involves leaving everything that you know and everything that makes up who you are.
|
|
|
| © Career Consulting Limited.com 2011
|