Reassess Work and Your Work Relationships -- Michael Clinton

Having over a year full of uncertainty many have started to ask themselves quotAm I happy in my jobquot As we continue to determine the time to go back to work back to social gatherings and back to normal reassessing our careers and work relationships is simply just another step forwardFor the majority of us work will dominate our lives in one form or another whether you are an hourly worker who puts in forty hours a week a parttime employee a freelancer or a harddriving professional or executive who puts in sixty or more hours a week Whatever your level of engagement work and what we are paid for it is the fuel that allows us to live the life we want to live or hope to live in the future Yet when asked quotIf you could have any job you wanted would it be the one you currently havequot 41 percent of the ROAR Into survey respondents said no And 34 percent said that if they could do it all over again they wouldn39t choose the same career path Those percentages may seem high but I would argue that they represent a significant amount of people who seem dissatisfiedPerhaps the real sentiment came from the question quotIf you never had to work again would you quit your current job todayquot Fiftyeight percent of all respondents said yes and 61 percent of those between ages fortyfive and fiftynine in midcareer said yes It39s probably not going to happen but there sure is a lot of daydreaming about the idea of itA significant number of triggers can cause you to step back and look at your work life They might include disillusionment with your company or management a desire to get off the corporate treadmill a realization that you are on the wrong career track or choice and you need to coursecorrect an illness that makes you rethink your life or you may have been downsized or pushed out forcing you to design a new future The reasons for workamp8211life reassessment are myriad but the important thing is to ask yourself if you are happy with what you are doing and who you are doing it withAt midcareer you39ve pretty much figured out what it is that you do and how you do it and hopefully you have become pretty good at it But if you are miserable what39s your plan to change The same can happen toward the end of your primary career as you reimagineMy friend Valerie explained that she spent three years trying to recreate a scenario that was similar to her highly successful executive life once she retired When she accepted that it wasn39t possible she found a new path as an executive coach and mentor to other women who were developing their own career paths in business Her knowledge and experience were indispensable and today she is thriving in a completely new career that brings her joy and satisfactionROAR TipAt work we spend a lot of time with colleagues It39s important to learn to like and respect them whether they are above you next to you or in more junior rolesWhen I think about my own work relationships I39ve had a few amazing bosses like Jack Cathie and David and I39ve had a few whom I prefer to forget about My favorite bosses had impressive vision and leadership skills and empowered me to do my best work They were also admired by the organization and the industry Jack was my earlycareer mentor who helped me get my first publisher job Ultimately I followed him into the executive suite and then as board member and chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America To this day he is a mentor and a friendIn our thirtyfiveyear friendship he has always been there to give me the straight talk on career and life Needless to say having mentors like Jack who always have your best interests in mind is priceless I would also recommend quotreverse mentoringquot in your work life Talk to those twentysomethings in the office to get their point of view their ideas and an understanding of what is important to them Their input will help you see the world in a fresh way and will allow you to growUltimately we all have good bosses and notsogood bosses Stick with the ones who believe in you and adopt them as your mentors regardless of where you are in your career Those relationships will be the ones that let you grow in new and sometimes unexpected ways If you are stuck with a notsogood boss right now figure out how you can navigate away from that person with a new assignment or even a new company No one should tolerate a situation that is unfair or an environment that is not based on collaboration or transparency Fortunately we live in a time when more and more employees are calling out bosses who don39t fit that billMy great bosses allowed me to hire the best in the business who were my own direct reports As a result I had the best publishers in the industry on the team and they in turn hired the best people under them The culture we fostered was one of teamwork fairness and respect for the individual As they say it all starts at the top Sometimes companies can get sidetracked with bad management Acknowledging a fast course correction is in the best interests of an organization its culture and its people I39ve watched companies lose their special luster with the wrong people at the helm resulting in the loss of focus belief in the mission and talent all of which can destabilize a companyIn a world of ongoing change and upheaval be aware of selfproclaimed quotdisruptorsquot They are oftentimes destroyers of companies institutions and brands and especially of older talented employees Ultimately respect for seasoned and knowledgeable professionals is what makes a business stronger Don39t fall for the quotyou are afraid of changequot accusation from someone who doesn39t respect your expertiseHere are my five management tips for building effective business relationships with teams in my case a group that drove over 1 billion in annual revenue1 Listen Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them so they feel that they are being heard and can be vulnerable without any repercussions By listening you39ll develop an open and honest relationship with no business surprises solving issues together2 Be honest If someone isn39t doing a job to their fullest explain it to them and see if they agree If they aren39t going to get the promotion sit down and tell them If you are going to change their assignment or take pieces away from them sit down and explain why People may not be happy but they will be grateful that you took the time to explain it3 Evaluate people objectively We all have numbers next to our names In any business we have to deliver the goals the budgets the revenues the profits It39s that simple Rule by results not by favorites or cliques or some agenda that is off the focus Create opportunities for the need of the business not for the need of an individual4 Treat everyone with respect My boss Cathie had a brilliant line quotYou treat the most junior member of the team with the same respect that you give the CEOquot That has always served me well When I think about the incredible influence that a CEO39s assistant can have with the boss it can never be underestimated But more important it39s the right thing to do Everyone deserves dignity A zerotolerance environment for bullying bad behavior or treating people disrespectfully should be what every company and manager foster5 Stay humble When I was a thirtyfouryearold publisher of GQ I felt pretty full of myself A senior colleague reminded me that it was all about the seat I was sitting in it wasn39t about me I never forgot that and have passed that wisdom onto many people who as my grandmother would say quotgot a little too big for their britchesquot Remember that most of us are hired hands whether we are the big boss or not I was incredibly fortunate in my business life to meet presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama celebrities such as George Clooney Beyoncamp233 and Barbra Streisand and sport stars such as Michael Jordan and Serena Williams But it was the seat I sat in that afforded me those special moments and I was always grateful for the opportunitiesROAR TipIf you don39t have a team that reports to you then take my five management tips and turn them inside out Does your manager bring these ideas to the workplace It will foster effective business relationships producing excellent work And use those tips in working with your colleagues You39ll develop a reputation as someone whom people want to be around to work on projects and help solve business problemsThe people you have around you can make or break your success your promotions your raises your ability to save more money for your future and your overall wellbeing in your current workplace Surround yourself with positive people who focus on innovation and results No matter what stage you are at in your career you can always learn something and grow into another role or assignment Stay out of office politics and away from divisive toxic environments This all sounds like common sense but step back and assess your situationIt will make all the differencePrinted with permissionClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleagues The opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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