I find tremendous fascination in talking with career builders in full rotation during this economic financial condition—for the first time since the Great Depression all levels of workday performances have been infected with the W-2 Flu…meaninfg no matter how high your company has built its pyramid of success, nobody's job is safe.
Community colleges are caked with middle aged adults risking their security foundation by stepping into an area of newness that garners no guarantee. When you’re finally selected to harness the reins of a new beginning the first six months of paychecks is overshadowed by a well trained self sufficient nagging that turns any twenty four hour day into every reason why you should quit and start all over again and again.
The number one cause of the new job blues can easily be spotted by taking a quick glance at your political antenna and see where it needs to fit rather than where it sat during your last chapters at a place where you assumed you ruled.
Landing a new job is not getting another gig. If your only purpose of getting employment is to cheapen your presentation, Oprah would love to have more viewers. Every position in a place of business must exceed the limits of nicknames and curses. The custodian who sneaks in late at night is a champion designer. I can’t imagine what my attitude would be if the trash was never taken out and this radio station control board resembled the base of Mount St Helens with twelve inches of dust and ash. The receptionist commands the public service department, it’s his or her voice a client hears first and whatever impression they leave will determine if your company will have success.
The most difficult part about getting back to work is breaking free of the old perks and germs that once owned your entire being—take the rose colored glasses off and start accepting a new culture. With every new environment there is a new way of living and it’s your attitude that must be shifted into a gear of thinking honestly by way of accepting those who are paying close attention to every effort you’re bringing to their place of play.
If people aren’t welcoming your suggestions reach into your mind, body and soul and click on the political antenna—I call this the people watcher, an internal device that takes the time to notice how people get along with each other.
As my mother always said, “Radio isn’t a strange place with weird freaks manning the places that make music for people to listen to…its nothing more than a reflection of reality. Everything that happens inside those speakers is tripled in the real world of business.”
Every office in America and around the world is a shape shifting complex of social groups. From cliques to friendships and the loyalties they guarantee, every product being created is controlled by a set of ground rules and or cultures.
Your arrival at a new place is every reason to study the patterns you deliver. You’ve invaded someone’s culture. What do you have they don’t? Are you there to suddenly make them unemployed? If you don’t fit in, those new coworkers will figure out a way to incorporate changes in your behavior—failing to make the move sends your player piece back to Start…welcome to the world of isolation. I’d say…take this new journey quite seriously.
Being dismissive sends out a clear signal, “I don’t want to fit in.”
Step one of your new found success ladder is to figure out how people interact with each other. Even if it doesn’t sit well in the boat you float, step back and watch the waves that take shape. Can you imagine working daily with me? A Native American spiritually driven writer, producer, painter and martial artist who consumes too much water, while wasting no time on alcohol, drugs and the sweet taste of Southern BBQ. All he ever talks about is work, work, work and how you can fit more work into what he hopes to call the worlds first 29 hour workday. Dude needs a new habit! Seriously who wants to be friends with someone like this?
Speaking the street is a valuable tool to carry with you—the art of studying the conversations people share and how it is delivered. Learn about what brings light to the social process of your business. Just because I don’t pop the top of a tall cool one doesn’t mean we still can’t breakout in a game of darts in the hallway or take the time to sit down and listen to a coworker’s best weekend ever with their kids because they couldn’t stop playing The Beatles Rock Band Video game.
Putting value in the new culture lifts your presentation allowing you to feed off the power of the political antenna and the messages it sends back to you. Build trust while gaining support. Yes, your approach to success is different but underneath that mountain of who you once were at the other place of business no longer counts. I’m not saying go out and drink with your new found buddies or break away for lunch every morning at 11:30.
Accept the idea that fitting into a social level is very important to the continued success of your career. Study the patterns of those who are new while developing a natural way to do things with them without putting too much light on how incredibly different you really are. Be conscious of your decisions and how you adapt your approach. You can still be you…just become more aware of how you fit in with others.
There are cures to political dilemmas at work—a great way to get up and around them is to do a little research—the words written by Dr. Gary Ranker is a great new start. Leaders aren’t always found in the corner office with the bright beautiful windows and giant shelves with nicely dusted books and pictures. We got into this financial mess in America because too many people said, “It’s not my job,” then turned and walked away only to complain and complain when the Panthers couldn’t figure out how to win a game.
Winning is a choice…rebuilding this country is a yes or a no...how you decide to answer the question is where you sit on the company ladder of success. You can either accept we're 7th best or pull out the monster that drove you to the dance and make this machine the finest creation on the planet.
How long did it take you to read my garbled up words? That's too long! Back to work! Santa will be here to check on the toys!
Steal my art.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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