Corporate thinking: How to find a perfect job? By following a “Cycle of Excellence” or by following principles of “Managing Oneself“?
At the end of the year or at the beginning of the new year, thinking about the new job or even a new career is very popular and reasonable at the same time. A lot of changes is happening at that time. And we like to make our own balance sheets or cost to benefit analysis about our work and career. I guess that’s also the reason why the January 2011 issue of Harvard Business Manager (HBM) was featuring the theme “Karriere”.
One of the articles in that January 2011 issue of the HBM has a great title: The path to the perfect job (in German it is: Der Weg zum perfekten Job). I must say I couldn’t find the proposed path very useful in real life. I just couldn’t imagine myself being able to follow it. Mainly because in my opinion I think the results by following this path would be minimal if there were any. But, I could be wrong also.
I’ll try to present the main point of the Cycle of Excellence that is presented in this article The path to the perfect job. And at the same time I am going to try to present the better alternative in my opinion. That better alternative in my opinion is coming out from a small but classic book from Peter F. Drucker: Managing oneself.
Peter F. Drucker via www.churchleadergazette.com
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In short five steps of Cycle of Excellence are:
- Carefully choose your tasks
- Nurture contacts with your colleagues
- Work playfully
- Find your big challenge
- Enjoy in accomplishments
And my short version of Managing oneself in three directions consists of:
- Do not plan. Be prepared.
- Take responsibility for your relationships.
- Are you a reader or a listener?
Short explanation of the Cycle of Excellence
The theory comes from a question that I’m sure every one of ask has asked himself. To have a feeling you are in the wrong place. And the author of the article The path to the perfect job, Edvard M. Hallowell, says that this question could spread around some company like a virus infection. So, it is better to take this question seriously. No matter the side your are on.
Five steps of Cycle of Excellence:
1. Carefully choose your tasks
2. Nurture contacts with your colleagues
3. Work playfully
4. Find your big challenge
5. Enjoy in accomplishments
In the first step of the Cycle of Excellence: Carefully choose your tasks, you are supposed to ask yourself what do you like to do? What are you best in? And with what are you able to gain the added value for your company? This are all very good questions in my opinion. But I am not really convinced that by asking yourself this question you’ll make any difference to your career or to your company. There is also proposed 15 questions questionnaire that is supposed to help you. Maybe. I was not convinced.
Nurture contacts with your colleagues. This is the second step in this theory that should follow the first one. If I understood this theory right. Yes, it is true that in this days a lot of people working in the same building communicate only trough e-mail or other technologies. And that this colleagues sometimes do not see each other for months or longer. Alienation is a fact. And that could have serious consequences for every company, yes that is true also. And it is true that leader of the company have a responsibility to take care of good relationships between people. And it is also true that real connection between colleagues between people is a win-win situation. But I have real problems in seeing what does this has to do with your question of finding a perfect job? Let’s see the third step.
Work playfully. The author says that in the Southwest Airlines there is a saying: People are rarely successful at things with with they do not have fun. So first you should find what your good at. Then be nice and friendly to your colleagues. And then somehow you’ll start to be more satisfied. And then start to work playful. That is the suggestion, I guess. I have real difficulties in accepting that. And then if your boss is trying to stop you working playfully you have to convince him that this is also good for your company. Even if that would be true, I still think a lot of your bosses wouldn’t buy the argument. I had opportunity to know many people who had finished the studies in economics and at their sales jobs they had to do really stupid things, like reporting what they business calendar consisted of every weak. So, I just do not see how could somebody convince such a boss that this is not a thing were somebody could use his creative abilities or the knowledge and experience from the studies and years of working in sales, for example. But let us see the next four step. Again this step should follow the third step.
Find your big challenge is the next fourth step. When you mastered the first three you should find something really difficult to achieve. Accelerate the so called positive stress. When you achieve that or overcome your challenge you will feel really happy. Yes, true. But I somehow doubt that a lot of people has the opportunity for their big challenge at their work. But like I said, maybe I’m wrong.
Three main features of the Cycle of Excellence:
+ scientifically based theory
+ proposed cases unrealistic in real life
+ demands successive approach
And the last fifth step is following the first four steps. And for me this is the most inappropriate one. When you accomplished something big, like found and master your big challenge explained in the worth step, you should wait for the acknowledgement from your colleagues. If nothing happens say something. You have good relationship with your colleagues, remember the step two? But if still nothing happens then consider finding a new job. Yeah, right. That’s a way to go. I just do not buy this theory. What would be a better approach in my opinion?
Short explanation of the Managing oneself
I will propose my short version of the Managing oneself. Anybody interested in more details can read more in the same called book that contains only 57 really small pages, so you can read it in less than an hour.
The biggest advantage of Managing oneself in my opinion is its possibility to approach to it in an asynchronous way. That means it is not important what you do first. Or what you do last. Just do something out of it, no matter what have you picked. Pick something that you are most familiar with. See if it suits you and go further. So, I’ll try to explain in a non-chronological manner.
Three directions approach of the Managing oneself:
+ Do not plan. Be prepared.
+ Take responsibility for your relationships.
+ Are you (or your boss) a reader or a listener?
Do not plane. Be prepared. One of the important claims of Peter F. Drucker is that successful careers are not planned. You should be prepared for opportunities. Maybe you are a school teacher for ten years know and if you have invested in this years in your leadership strengths, it’s very likely you’ll be an excellent principal of your school.
If you know your method of work, and even more important if you know hoy your boss or bosses are functioning there is no doubt you’ll be successful to move a step further in your career when the opportunity arises. And if you know what are your values you will not have a difficult job to find out if your values are compatible with the values of your organisation or company. Yours and yours company do not have to match completely but is is appropriate that they are close enough together. Knowing all that: strengths, your method of work (and your boss’s), and your values could transform you to an outstanding performer. And you can start with every aspect of the preparation that is mentioned here right now. I’m sure it will be worth it.
Take responsibility for your relationships. You should ask everyone with whom you work the following questions: what do I need to know about your strengths, how you perform, your values, and your proposed contribution? This are important questions we should ask ourself s. If your are a leader to other people. Or if you are a beginner and just started working in some company. This four questions are a baseline from where you are able to make a relationship with your colleagues. And how do you communicate with them is really a matter of technique. If you seat with somebody at the same table and chat with him at the same time. So what. If both of you like it. There is no problem of alienation.
It is important that you repeat these questions (strength, performance, values, contribution) every year once with your colleagues in both direction. In that way you’ll get priceless feedback information. Be strict with that rule. And then you are at the same time on your very good way to take responsibility not only to take responsibility for your relationships but also to be prepared for your next career or the next step in your existing career.
Are you a reader or a listener? This sounds like a simple question. But maybe it is not so simple. Usually one can not be both. Maybe some of you will say, yes sometimes I’m a reader and sometimes I’m listener. Naturally. But in general, to process professional information we are only one thing. I think it is very important that everybody founds out what he is. A reader or a listener. Because one can train himself to listen to the people when they are saying or explaining something but if you know that you make best decisions based on a written information this is the way or method of work you should demand from your colleagues.
Let’s say you are a managing director of a small health care centre. Doctor of medicine otherwise. There comes a young paediatrician to discuss the possibilities of working at your centre. Although you know you talk a lot a the meetings, so other people usually don’t get much chance to say something, you know you are a reader actually. Wouldn’t it be a smart idea to ask this young paediatrician to prepare a short written offer of his demands to work at you centre? In that way you can easily read these demands in that meeting. And immediately decide if you have the possibility to negotiate about these demands further or rather leave these paediatrician (and your centre) find another opportunity? I think this is a very smart move for both sides.
Three main features of the Managing oneself:
+ based mainly on experience
+ real life and easy to understand cases
+ possible to apply in a asynchronous manner
Other things besides considering if you are a reader or a listener are also:
- How do I learn? By listening and reading or by writing? Or by doing? Or hearing yourself talk (usually to others).
- And not lest: Do I work well with people or am I a loner? And there are the other questions like: Am I a decision maker or an adviser? Do I perform well under stress? Do I work best in a big organization or in a small one?
All in all, in short I think with the Managing oneself directions or principles every one of us has a lot better chances to find a perfect job. So, you and I should just go for it. Especially if you are a knowledge worker (and there are chances that you are) start thinking and behaving like a chief executive officer.
Sources:
Peter F. Drucker: Managing Oneself, Harvard Business Review Classics
Edward M. Hallowell: Der Weg zum perfekten Job, January 2011
Tags: Career development, Corporate culture, Corporate identity, Design thinking, Employment, Job, Managing Oneself, Our bookshelf, Peter Drucker
