Malcolm O. Munro - The "Career Fitness" Coach

What's Underneath Your Mask?

This past weekend we celebrated my favorite holiday, Halloween!  I'm not sure why I enjoy it, maybe it's all the skeletons (you probably know I love skeletons - just look at my clothing line at www.greyskullattitude.com) out there or perhaps just the huge amount of candy my kids bring home. 

It seems I'm not alone.  The average family in the U.S. spends about $40.00 on just candy.  Then there are the adults who really get into the season by donning elaborate costumes.  People seem to enjoy wearing masks and being somebody different if just for one night.

I find in my line of work that many people wear masks each and every day at work.  Martha Beck, in her  book Finding Your Own North Star speaks of these as a person's Social Self.  It's the part of us that does the sensible thing rather than what our desires and wants tell us to do.  Now don't think this means without the Social Self we'll do a bunch of deviant things, it means we often hold back what's really important to us in favor of what we think the others around us want us to be.  If you're wearing this kind of mask, life for you can be even more frightening than a bad dream with Freddy Krueger in it!

Sunday night I did a workshop with a bunch of high school students using a personality instrument.  My purpose was to help them discover early on, what their personality preferences were.  If they can figure this out early in life, before making career and relationship changes, I think it will help them make choices that will eliminate the need to wear the mask later in life.  We had a great time!  I hope they can take the information they learned and put it to use.

So what about you?  What mask are you wearing?  More importantly, what is under the mask that you wish you could show every day? If you're not sure, maybe the following questions can help you sort it out:

• What motivates you besides money?
• What kind of activities recharge your batteries?
• When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• What types of people are you drawn to?
• Where do you see yourself (realistically) in 20 years?
• What will you want people to say about you at your memorial service?

These are the kinds of questions that reveal what's under the mask.   I believe you can operate as the REAL you on a daily basis if you become familiar with the REAL you and work to align that with the career you're working for.  I've been able to do that and I no longer dread Mondays.  

Why not take the time this week to do some self discovery?  If you succeed,  you can proudly proclaim that you've experienced a "Halloween Miracle!"

The Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)

Click HERE to see this week's tip on YouTube!

Recently, I've taken to using 1.25 reading glasses when taking up my favorite habit of reading.  They make the words just a little bigger and a whole lot clearer.  I guess it also means the coach's body is showing some wear and tear. 

Reading glasses help sharpen up-close images, but what do you use when clarifying distance?  Obviously a stronger lens.  But what if you're looking even further?  In that case, I'd say look within.

I know it doesn't make sense, but I'm speaking here of a personal vision.  A major goal that's far off but certainly within your reach if you're dedicated.

In 1994, Jim Collins wrote a book entitled Built to Last – Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.   In that book, he examined companies that were successful for decades, and in some cases, centuries.  These were companies that withstood economic issues, changes in culture, and even distaste in public opinion and yet always managed to survive.  He gave many reasons for this longevity and backed them up with research.  One reason companies in Collins’ book succeeded was that they set really good goals.  Now these weren’t just ordinary old goals, in fact Collins made the point that these goals far exceeded expectation and in some cases, common sense.  His term for this type of goal was the Big Hairy Audacious Goal or the BHAG.  As a career coach, I like this concept!

BHAGs defy logic because they’re so darned grandiose.  They give us something really BIG to shoot for and they define a roadmap for us to follow.  They’re more than just end-states.  A BHAG that says “I want to be wealthy” or “I want to be happy” isn’t specific.  How much money is wealthy enough? How happy is happy?  My thought is to define a condition or position that gives you the end-state and make that your BHAG. 

The hard part about BHAGs is that they’re difficult to achieve.  If they were easy, we couldn’t call them BHAGs.  In my case, there’s no straight shot to getting my dream realized so I simply envisioned the BHAG as the pinnacle of a mountain and started my journey through a series of switchbacks – diagonal trails that inch up a mountain. 

So how are you doing?  Can you identify a BHAG?  If so, have you mapped out a process to achieve it?  I know plenty of people who can talk a good game and wow us with their dream, but this is only valid if you believe you can do it and you have a plan (which you work) to actually achieve it.

Oh yes, and since we're still focused on the topic of building morale of those around you, how are you doing in encouraging others to hit their BHAGS?

Cultivating Creativity in the Cube Farm

This morning I read an interesting article on the MSN Career page entitled Extreme Cube Makeover.

The article profiles author Kelley L. Moore and her book Cube Chic: Take Your Office Space From Drab to Fab.  In this book, Moore gives tips and techniques to improve the drab, tweed-like fabric walls and humdrum surroundings of today's "cube" and turn it into the stuff of fashion.

While it seems a bit silly (and of course a piece of motivation for any aspiring author in that anyone can write a book about anything), it also makes an interesting point:  little things can really energize a workforce.

Take a walk into any "cube farm" and you'll probably find an eclectic mix of styles and of personal touch.  You can tell a lot about an individual by what they decorate their workspace with.  Most of course have photos, but some will have plants, religious artifacts, collectables, and of course the odd stuffed animal.  Some are meticulously arranged and some resemble my son's closet - a place for everything yet nothing in its place.  On the other hand, I've done some consulting work in call centers and see the opposite.  Some centers ban any personal touches in the little pie-shaped wedges of the pods.  Others allow one personal item and one photograph.  The environment is sterile, impersonal, and frankly, kind of boring.  It's no wonder the turnover is high and job satisfaction low.

I'm not a big fan of cubes.  I've never had to work in one, yet the idea of sharing space, air, and environment with multiple people during an eight-hour stretch doesn't appeal to me.  I'm guessing most employees agree.  But certainly having a personal touch helps.  As managers, be sensitive to people's individual styles.  Allow them to decorate their spaces the way they want them.  Of course, good taste is always in order, but be flexible.  People work better in an atmosphere that provides them comfort.  A cube may be the only place they can express who they truly are - and a person who is allowed to work in that zone will be the absolute best they can be.

Allow some cube makeover in your organization and see how self-expression leads to self-esteem and how it translates into happy workers and high productivity!

 

More on the Power of Reading

I know I’ve written on this topic before, how reading an hour each day can make us all more effective in what we do. I’ve even highlighted prison inmates, who faced with nothing but time on their hands devour every book they can find and therefore come off as highly educated individuals when interviewed on MSNBC.

This past week here in Maryland, the trial of John Allen Muhammad continued and observers remarked at the metamorphosis of this already-convicted killer. (Muhammad and his teenaged companion Lee Boyd Malvo were convicted for a rash of sniper-styled killings in 2001). No longer the brooding, silent defendant he was at his first trial in Virginia, he now carries with him a stack of legal papers, shuffling them purposefully at the defense table. He speaks the language of law, begging the "court's indulgence" and asking that a "continuous objection" be noted for the record.

Now he’ll most likely be convicted again, and while we can never excuse his crimes, it is interesting how his mannerisms have changed. Makes me wonder how he educated himself. I’m pretty sure it had to do with reading.

If you know me or have heard me speak, you know I’m passionate about reading. If Mr. Muhammad indeed has gained his legal expertise from books, (and I don’t have any reason to think otherwise – of course he could be watching regular reruns of Law and Order), then it proves my point.

What does that mean for you? Pick up a book and start reading - and I don’t mean fictional stuff either. Try biographies if there aren’t any technical or business books that interest you. If you want to be excellent at work, have a successful business, or simply grow as a person, this is your ticket.

Mr. Muhammad will have many more years to read his books but it will gain him nothing behind bars. You have much more to look forward to. I’m excited to hear your success stories!

A Great Personal Development Resource

Do you know your strengths? Are you aware of your best attributes? If not, then please check out my recommendation for this month’s Business and Networking resource, Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton.

All of us have been successful in building our businesses and careers by leveraging our strong points. We also do what’s expected of us and spend time working on our weaker areas. But according to this book, we ought to really maximize what works well for us.

The authors give the example of Tiger Woods. Tiger’s monster drives and outstanding putting are the trademarks of his success, but his short game isn’t quite as strong. His coach has worked with him on the weaker aspects, keeping him competitive there, but really pushes him to practice what he already does well. Does that sound strange? Not if you really think about it.

If you get this book, you’ll get the access codes to take a 30-minute online survey that allows you to identify your strong areas. You’ll get a nice printout of each of five core strength areas with suggestions on how to maximize them.

Most personal coaches recommend working on the weaker areas, but the authors contend that by maximizing your strengths, your weaknesses will be minimized.

This book has really changed the way I do my own personal and professional development and the way I work with my coaching clients. I’m convinced it will do the same for you.

"But I'm Just Too Busy to Write"

I was saddened to read of the death of author Peter Benchley yesterday. Jaws was one of the first novels I ever read, and even though it was the abridged version from Reader’s Digest (thankfully now I realize it was devoid of much of the vulgar language and sexual situations – I was 11 at the time!), I remember it totally captivating me.

The interesting thing about Benchley’s novel was that it took him many years to complete it. His interest in sharks was lifelong, beginning with childhood visits to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts and heightening in the mid-1960s when he read about a fisherman catching a 4,550-pound great white shark off Long Island, the setting for his novel.

"I thought to myself, 'What would happen if one of those came around and wouldn't go away?"' Benchley recalled. He didn't start the novel until 1971 because he was too busy working with his day jobs.

"There was no particular influence. My idea was to tell my first novel as a sort of long story ... just to see if I could do it. I had been a freelance writer since I was 16, and I sold things to various magazines and newspapers whenever I could."

So what’s my point?

Think about the profound influence Jaws has on our perception of sharks and swimming in the ocean. As a young boy, I remember being terrified about swimming in the waters off Corona Del Mar in Southern California. Even today I’m always keeping an eye out for dorsal fins heading my way.

Like it or not, Benchley’s book has changed our lives. And to think that he could have missed the chance to write it because he was too busy working his day job.

So here’s your inspiration for today. If you’ve been putting off writing that book because you’re too busy, too tired, too discouraged, then get over it. Your book might just be the next big novel that transfixes the our culture. Don’t let the drudgery and stress of today deprive the world of your thoughts tomorrow.

A Great Book Recommendation - The Tipping Point

As business professionals, I believe we need to spend time each day in our own personal and professional development.  Since I've been traveling quiet a bit lately, my development time comes on long flights and while sitting in airports.  My goal this past few months has been to read at least three business books per month.  I have several "Must Read" book suggestions for you, but this one is the most powerful of all:

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

This is a great book, particularly if you're interested in becoming a more effective networker.  In it, Gladwell breaks down the anatomy of a business trend and makes several great suggestions on how to leverage that in becoming a more successful businessperson and networker.  I've read it just once and have already seen great results in the past month!

Take some time to check out The Tipping Point.  And while you're at it, why not consider making personal and professional development a resolution for 2006?  I'll continue to suggest great books for you and look forward to hearing your feedback!