This Is What You Need But You Don't Actually Know It

"I couldn't stop thinking about how much time I've been wasting Val!"
 
That is what one executive said to me this week as he realized his executive job search hadn’t been giving him the results he expected and he listened to my How to Define and Find the Perfect Executive Role teleconference. 
 
It occurred to me this week that there are a number of essentials executives need, but they don’t focus on it until it is too late. Today you get to benefit from all the “I wish I had known…’s” that I’ve heard from executives so you can get ahead.
 
Here are my top five:

• Don’t forget your former colleagues and connections

I had a lovely note from one of my favorite former colleagues and clients. We are now back in touch and he acknowledged his "benign-neglect-to-awkward-embarrassment cycle of managing my connections with folks who I’m not tightly engaged with on a day-to-day basis”. He isn’t alone, it takes discipline and selfish prioritization to stay connected with those who inspire and energize you, but aren’t part of your regular cycle of daily activity.

What to do right now: Pick three names of those on your regretful neglect list and call or text them, right now, and arrange a call or to meet up.

• Have mentors at the right altitude for your current success

It is easier earlier in your career, there are mentors abound everywhere above you. As you rise the ranks to executives, those who can help you are a smaller pool, and have increasing demands on their time. Look around you now, and consider who you call for advice, do they have the BTDTGR tee-shirt? (Been-There-Done-That-Got-Results)

What to do right now: Consider the future of your business, what is the biggest area that you have never tackled before and ask yourself who has and who could be an advisor to you. If you don’t know them, who does and who can give you an introduction?

• Know people who could hire you

If you haven’t already spotted it, yes there is a common theme around evaluating and maintaining connections here. It is the number one theme of complaints from executives on the move. Again, as you move higher, you need a different seniority of a network of who you need to build relationships with.

What to do right now: Consider how many Board members, CEOs or people who could hire you that you know. Is that a dehydrated list? Consider who is one click away who could introduce you.

• Don’t dive down your internal corporate rabbit warren

I recently invited an executive to keynote at a prominent executive event and he declined because he needed to focus on his newly gained CEO role. While logically I understand his call, there is a danger you focus too narrowly on internal activities in your first year in role when having a dual focus with your external profile.

What to do right now: Pick one or two events a year that you decide to invest your time in, either to speak at, or to attend. Want some recommendations? Email or call me and I can tailor specific recommendations just for you.

• Be brilliant at sharing your honest brilliance

Before you roll your eyes at the thought of bragging, I am constantly amazed at the brilliant achievements of executives I meet that are a complete secret. I recently looked at the CV of a brilliant executive, and her achievements were incredible, but when I googled her I couldn’t find her, and none of the details were on her LinkedIn profile. Sadly this is a trend rather than a one off. Reply if you want my fast tips for discovering how amazing you are and how to make sure the virtual you reflects the real you!

Winds change fast in corporate life, you can go from being top of your game with an abundance of cheerleaders, to floating adrift alone just by one or two executive changes or an unexpected acquisition. 
 
As I told one of my clients this week, unlike my young daughters, I receive no satisfaction from the I-told-you-so! game.  But I can help you prevent experiencing regret when it fast becomes out of your control. 
 
Over the next few months I will be in Seattle, New York, Boston, San Jose, Savannah, and San Francisco, let me know if there is someone it would be good for me to meet while I am in town, I love introductions!

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Control Input Overload To Boost Productivity

I worked with a leader who one day discovered that he had 75 e-mails in his inbox whose sole purpose was to say a simple thank you. He then emailed his team and said: “Please take this e-mail as a worldwide thank you from everyone to everyone else. Now I have sent this e-mail, please nobody ever send an e-mail of thanks again about a simple receipt of an e-mail.” While some may think that is a little brutal, sometimes sharp messages are needed to change a course of behavior.

It seems that our inputs never stop expanding. We add Slack, Facebook for Work, or the latest instant messaging platform under the guise of improved productivity but with so many ways to be contacted, it is important to find ways to keep the input at a minimum and in control. Here are two powerful ways:

1. Delete all of your e-mails. Listen to any returning executive after vacation and you will hear them complain about the size of their inbox upon their return. J. Allard, corporate vice president of the Entertainment Division at Microsoft, had a brilliant solution to that. When he returned, he just deleted everything—yes, everything, as in select-all-delete-confirm-yes-permanently-delete. He used to go around with a great big grin on his face when he returned from his latest snowboard adventures because he never came back overwhelmed. He started a trend at Xbox. Many followed in his footsteps, perhaps with a slightly more cautious approach by setting an e-mail auto response telling people they were on vacation and on return they would be deleting their e-mail so please resend after a particular date. This set a new acceptable norm, and this was 10 years ago, before the proliferation of many messaging apps.

2. Teach people how to interact with you. Successful leaders train their team and peers on how to interact with them. Don’t like e-mail? Only want to talk by phone? Love one-page summaries? Hate long e-mails? Want open space in meetings? Or love minute-by-minute agendas? Let people know. Whatever your preference, the most effective way thoughtfully ruthless leaders prevent themselves from having to say no all the time and from becoming overloaded is by training those around them how to interact with them.

The best time to do this is when you first join a team. You are still in your honeymoon period and everyone is open to getting to know you and learning new ways of working. If you aren’t in a new role, it isn’t too late, but it will require some education. Nevertheless, it is worth the effort.

How is excessive e-mail or messaging causing you and others in your organization to be overwhelmed, and how could you remove it? What kind of interaction do you prefer? Take some time to consider how you might help your team—and yourself—overcome input overload and free up time and energy for the work that matters.
 

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

How To Clear Your Mind For Freedom

Ever had someone or something stuck in your head for so long that it feels like they moved into your house or office?

When I talk to executives about what is holding them back from growing faster, becoming more innovative, or unlocking productivity gains, they often tell me stories that pre date the smartphone! There is history, dynamics, and a lot of second guessing.

Marie Kondo is the latest craze here in the US, despite many who mock her, I love her approach, not least because after watching three episodes my three daughters proceeded to voluntarily organize, sift through, and fold their whole wardrobe. You can find before and after pictures on my Instagram account here.

The most compelling part of Kondo’s tidying up philosophy is letting go of what once served you that no longer serves you. This could be a quarter of your closet no longer fits, an excessive amount of holiday decorations, or a garage so full to the ceiling you can’t find anything. The method of her influencing hundreds of hoarders to let go is by acknowledging it and thanking it for the joy it once brought to you, and then truly letting go.

What can you let go of that no longer serves you?

In my studies of the most successful executives, they consistently evaluate and cull their demands on their energy.

Our networks are like dustballs that grow and grow if you don’t carefully tend to them
We overtake our mentors that once guided us up, but you need them at the right altitude for your continued growth
Our friends can take different paths that no longer support our values and can cause more tension than joy
The events we attend should spark joy - not a dreaded sense of obligation
Our jobs need to make our eyes sparkle

Where can you say a real or a mental thank you and goodbye to that will truly clear your mind to be free to enjoy the joy all around you?


Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/