Busting Three Myths About Finding Your Perfect Job Today

Maybe it is the new year resolutions, or the media attention of some of the large layoffs announced, but I am talking to many executives and leaders about making a career transition. Whether you are looking for your next role by choice or through forced necessity I want to bust these three common myths of making a job move:

1. Budgets are being cut and no-one is hiring

Don't be fooled by the headline grabbing layoffs at companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce. There are currently 72,635 executive roles advertised on LinkedIn at the time of writing this. Companies are hiring - but they are relying far more on networks and personal recommendations than formal recruitment processes. You have to use the side door, back door, and creative ways to grab attention and share your unique value.

2. Strong relationships with headhunters is crucial to getting a new job

While I am not telling you be rude and to completely ignore the recruiters and headhunters who call you - I am advising that you don't waste time chasing headhunters - instead spend all of your time talking to people in your network who can hire you: CEOs, Board members, Executives, those in roles more senior than you who have the power to offer you a job. I cover how to "wake up your network" in detail in my second book Rapid Growth Done Right.

 3. The roles advertised don't fit my background

The more senior you rise, the more jobs are created and crafted just for you. You can ignore job descriptions when contacting those in your network you know who can hire you. A CMO recently contacted a former colleague to let them know they were looking for their next career move - she immediately said "I am so glad you called, I am about to complete a reorganization of my team and you would be perfect, I can create a new role just for you" - This happens far more frequently than people realize - the key is letting those who know you, know that you are considering alternative roles so they can factor you in to their future changes.

As I celebrate the 10th anniversary of launching my own business this month I am giving away 10 copies of Rapid Growth Done Right - that has a whole chapter dedicated to Defining and Finding Your Perfect Job. Leave a comment or message me on social media with the hashtag #valwright and if you are selected as a winner I will send you a copy.

I keep getting asked for this, so I am contemplating launching a Rapid Career Transition Support Program where I share in a virtual group setting the steps to take to define and find your perfect job. If this is something you would be interested in, leave a comment or DM me with Tell Me More.

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/

What Are Your Favorite Photos Of 2022. Here Are My Most Loved…

If you are wondering how to send an interesting email this week, here's an idea. Go through your photos from 2022 and pick 9 of your favorite, create a mosaic using an app like PicPlayPost and share with your team why you picked the photos you did.

Here are mine...

1. Datto Marketing Shark Tank

I love this picture of CMO Brooke Cunningham and her leadership team - the sheer joy on the faces while we were hearing pitches from her team in a rapid Datto Marketing Shark Tank style idea session we ran earlier last year.  Business ownership, competition, and executives can change at rapid speed, the key is how to move at the right pace and sequencing to make the changes you need to. 
 

2. When your soundbites catch on

One of my popular quotes "Be Brilliant at Demonstrating Your Brilliance" on a free gift as part of a workshop I ran for aws. You know your soundbites catch on when they appear on conference swag! What does it mean? It’s covered in my first book Thoughtfully Ruthless or you can Learn here. 
 

3. Meeting my US publishing team again!

Last time I shook hands with the US Kogan Page team was December 2019, before my second book Rapid Growth Done Right launched. It was a delight to get to discuss both that book and my third book Words That Work with the team in New York, we have exciting plans ahead!
 

4. The Power of the Fishbowl

I've run hundreds of private internal fishbowl experiences, but it was fun leading this Fishbowl during an executive session at WOTC East in New York City. The multiple levels of learning and experience is captivating!
 

5. Four years and counting...

I am approaching my fourth year of working with various Ingram Micro executive teams and events. They might have been the biggest multi-billion dollar company many haven't ever heard of, but their latest innovation and transformation is about to change that! Here I am with the Canadian Executive team during their strategy retreat.
 

6. Ascendant Network

Over the last 5 years I’ve provided executive advisory sessions to attendees of the Digital Ascendant and Retail Ascendant executive communities during their gatherings in Silicon Valley and New York.  During their events I get to meet for 30min with an executive and provide advice on any aspect of their business and career. I’ve completed over 100 of these formal advisory sessions and many more over the meals, field trips to members innovation labs, and entertainment experiences that are part of the events. All meticulously created by founder Susan McDermid and her brilliant team.  - The best part? Sometimes the location of my 1-1 sessions is with the backdrop of the brilliant whiskey bar at Alexander's Steakhouse in Palo Alto! They know me too well. 
 

7. francesca's leadership team

You can read about francesca's throughout Words That Work, from their truth telling evolution, to their Phoenix rise into PE ownership, to how to tell your story that gets you on CNBC! It has been a delight to continue my work with this impressive business and team.
 

8. 1,250 Copies of Words That Work

I love seeing copies of my books in the wild, even more so when there are 1,250 of them being waved in the air at once! The Channel Company's WOTC East event did not disappoint!
 

9. Back with Evanta CIO Summits

I spoke at many events in two years around the world with Evanta, a Gartner company, before events took an unexpected pause and transformation. If you haven't attended a CIO / CDO / CISO Evanta event I highly recommend them for brilliant peer relationships and executive content at the right altitude without any of the awkward sales pitches or annoying forced interactions!

Why not share your favorite photos with your team today?

Here’s to a remarkable year ahead!

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/

How Often Do You Give The Gift Of Unfiltered Truth?

I had just walked off stage in Los Angeles at Gartner's Evanta CIO Summit when an executive said to me:

"Val, thank you, to say I had an epiphany might be putting it a bit strong, but I certainly had a wake up call, you made me realize that I don't encourage people around me to tell me the truth! Thank you!"

Now I frequently hear from executives who tell me their boss, their peer, their company doesn't encourage truth telling. I have also worked with CEOs who have asked me to help one of their executives become more of a truth teller in strategy conversations and board presentations, and in my executive advisory work I have observed some of my clients create dynamics in teams where truth telling isn't easy and I have needed to provide feedback and support to improve this. But this is the first time I heard directly from an executive who was prepared to openly admit that they haven't been the best at creating a working environment where truth telling is encouraged, sought after, and rewarded.

150 CIOs had just heard my opening keynote Developing a Company of Truth Tellers. I'll share here the reflection on my Truth Telling Test® I asked the audience to complete by rating the following questions from page 7 of my latest book Words That Work:

1:Strongly disagree, 2:Disagree, 3:Neither agree nor disagree, 4:Agree, 5:Strongly agree 

1. I’m regularly given good/mediocre/ugly news in a timely manner. 

2. I seek out contrarian reviews and enthusiastically receive them even if it is uncomfortable. 

3. I am told when my ideas won’t work or when there is a better alternative. 

4. There is healthy disagreement in my executive team discussions. 

5. I actively encourage, coach, and reward truth telling in teams I lead.

This is part of the Truth-Telling Test® I’ve used with companies all around the world. It is a baseline for accelerating innovation and growth because new ideas won’t fly if you can’t be direct with each other. 

There are two more sections where you assess the truth telling ability of your immediate manager and your company. You can find the full assessment here. You can also find more resources on Truth-Telling in Chapter One of my latest book Words That Work: Communicate Your Purpose, Your Profit, and Your Performance. Truth-Telling is even in the free sample chapter that you can download here.

While I was on stage talking Truth-Telling, I also asked everyone to hold up their copy of Words That Work and look entertained. In the spirit of Truth-Telling I promised I would let people know I had asked for those entertained faces! You can see the photo here. 

How can you give the gift of Truth-Telling to your teams, peers, and bosses?

Finally....

Do you know an event, company, or team who could benefit from hearing me talk on Truth-Telling? I also customize workshops around this topic and others from my three books. Here's what I covered last week, I would be happy to chat about potential events and opportunities.

Developing a Company of Truth Tellers

The more senior you rise, the fewer people tell you the unfiltered truth. Yet, those at the top of companies need the most direct feedback. No one wants to be lied to, yet untruths are everywhere. No one wants to admit they may occasionally lie, but they hypocritically expect everyone else to always tell the truth. It is easy for teams to fall into polite habits and avoid direct debates. Instead, head nodding through a meeting and sharing what you think someone wants to hear vs. what they need to hear.

• You will learn:How to demolish the executive insulation layer that is preventing you hearing candid feedback

• The Truth Telling Test to evaluate how you, your boss, your peers and your team tell the truth

• Key words that work for the most common difficult scenarios for telling the truth

• Meeting tips for encouraging others to share what they really think!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday break!

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/