A covert guide to getting promoted

Posted on March 11, 2013

Be a Chameleon

As soon as you enter a new workplace or team, Carleson advises adapting your approach by your target and your objective, just like a secret agent tackling a new case. “Every promotion you’re seeking has to be tailored to the decision maker’s biases and vulnerabilities,” she says. That means knowing what you want, who can help you achieve it, and how to gain their favor  “When I talk about manipulation, people get squeamish,” she says. “For CIA officers, ‘manipulate’ isn’t a bad word. It’s not a cynical mindset. It’s a proactive approach to exploiting opportunities.”

Target the Decision Makers

When Carleson was in the CIA, the agency thought Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Her job, she says, was to find information. “We had to target who would have that information, and then break it down to who had access to them and who I had access to,” she says. Similarly, in business, you should analyze senior management and target those decision makers who can influence your success. Figure out who controls the assignments, bonuses and promotions, as well as the people who have their ear, she says. Read the full article …

Sales success starts in the “middle”

Posted on January 22, 2013

To build a great company, it’s important to have strong executives leading the sales organization. But just as in the military, talented top officers can’t make up for weakness in the ranks of frontline leaders, the mid-level managers who are vital in driving day-to-day sales performance. “In any sales force, you can get along without the vice president of sales, the regional sales directors, and the training manager,” a sales leader once told us. “But you cannot get along without first-line sales managers.” Read the full article …

25 ways to get more customers

Posted on December 12, 2012

Write Stuff 

1. Start a newsletter.
2. Write a blog and update on a regular basis.
3. Showcase recent work in email newsletters to prospective clients/customers.
4. Write an article on one of the major issues of your industry.
5. Start a Facebook page, update regularly and promote your website.
6. Comment on prominent blogs to draw people back to your website.
7. Write an eBook or Report for your target market and promote it online. Read the full article …

How a military approach can help your business

Posted on November 15, 2012

1. Insist on clear communication and alignment. Clear communication and alignment are hallmarks of the military. Don’t underestimate the importance of language in reinforcing or shifting an organization’s mindset. Words like “mission,” “vision,” and “tactics” empower people to think differently about what they’re doing. Read the full article …

BM? Best Management or Business Matrix?

Posted on October 3, 2012

BM is the optimum allocation of resources which will determine the business organisational goals, you will deal with crucial decisions and steps that your business needs to achieve in order to meet your targets. BM will give you your long and short term objectives and your required profit margins.

BM deals with:

• Planning
• Organising
• Directing
• Controlling Read the full article …

5 Common mistakes made by Sale’s Teams.

Posted on September 17, 2012

Affliction 1: Wasting sales representatives’ time

One of the prime afflictions of sales teams is forcing them to spend time on non-sales tasks, for example making accounts receivable collections, managing product recalls, or filling out reports that do not directly relate to the sales process. Non-sales management often requests that reps perform these tasks, but great care should be taken before delegating them to valuable salespeople. If you, for instance, divert 5 percent of a sales team’s time to managing customer collections, you effectively reduce the number of feet on the ground by the same amount – and the reverse is true as well. Read the full article …

Make your best sales people better Managers

Posted on September 9, 2012

Sales Skills and Managerial Skills: There are many salespersons who are good at selling but they are not good managers because they have never led a team. Developing your own sales as an individual and developing other people who will grow sales as a team is very different. Your sales manager development must address this issue. The sales manager needs to be able to lead the sales team effectively. Read the full article …

Manage and Lead like the Special Forces

Posted on August 24, 2012

An interesting article relating to a new training consultancy ran by Ex-SF and how they help deliver performance leadership amongst other things;

Ideas for reducing conflict at work

Posted on August 18, 2012

Which type is it?

Role Conflicts:

• Ask yourself, “Exactly how do I perceive my role in relation to others involved in this issue?

. Take responsibility for clarifying your role with others involved.

• Be prepared to change your perception of your role.

• Show your willingness to be flexible in achieving your organization’s goals.

• Stay positive. View any role change in terms of the opportunities it presents. Read the full article …

Managing criticism at work (Receiving and expressing)

Posted on August 11, 2012

When receiving;

• Avoid focusing on what the speaker’s intentions may be. The reality is that we will never exactly know why someone is being so critical of us and why they are saying it so badly. Very few people express difficult messages well and the chances are that whatever their motivation is, it won’t be as bad as it seems. We need to remember that and cut the person some slack!
• Remember, no-one is perfect! If we can all blithely admit this self-evident truth, why do we need to be so resistant to hearing something about our own imperfection? Receiving negative feedback is part of being human. Read the full article …

Motivate your “Team” – It’s not rocket science

Posted on July 24, 2012

Building a “Team” – It’s not rocket science

Posted on July 22, 2012

Coaching – It’s not rocket science

Posted on July 18, 2012

The Decision Cycle (and understanding why you did that!)

Posted on June 7, 2012

Have you ever wondered why today’s commercial world has so many military terms? How things like “price war”, “making a pre-emptive strike” or simply recognising the need “to gather intelligence” on your market have become common place?

A few decades back an Air Force Colonel (John Boyd) developed a model for decision making in air combat. It soon became clear that this had wider, commercial benefits. Boyd compared the Russian MiG-15 to the American F-86 fighter. The MiG was faster, climb and turn better but lost more battles than the F-86 despite its apparent superiority. Why? According to Boyd, this was due solely to the F-86′s better field of vision. This superior field of vision allowed the pilot to assess the overall situation better and faster than the opponent. As a result, he could manoeuvre better and forced the MiG pilot into poorly calculated decisions. Read the full article …

Coaching versus Mentoring

Posted on

Coaching is coaching and Mentoring is well, the same. Right?

The most valuable resource any and every company has is its employees. Developing the individual has the obvious personal effect but also could lead to improved performance of the whole organisation. It isnt rocket science but it is often ignored.

Core competencies of the Coach & Mentor:- Supportive, Sounding board, Open, Honest, Creative, Interpersonal skills, and perhaps well networked. Read the full article …

Surviving your first week in a new role

Posted on March 15, 2013

Quest Resettlement Magazine (April 2013)

So, you have your first second career job and your raring to go. It is, however, likely that you will have a little anxiety. After all, working with civilians may be a new experience and a little daunting. It need not be however. The following is a basic, and perhaps obvious, checklist for surviving your initial week in the role.

A few do’s and don’ts;

Be a sponge:-

When you start the new role you don’t have the same level of role information as the others. Quickly identify the key duties, main company structure and culture to assist hitting the role running. Making the effort to absorb as much as you can will be noted by your new employer together with demonstrating you’re prepared to get stuck in.  Read the full article …

Social Media and your job search

Posted on January 8, 2013

Quest Resettlement Magazine (March 2013)

We all know the three leaders in social media networking but do we use them correctly? Linkedin has 150 million users and is the leader in business and professional networking. Twitter, with 200 million users and 10,000 new accounts daily, is the leader in short sharp factual dissemination of news. While Facebook, at 550 million users, is the more relaxed and so more dangerous option for spreading your skill set, aspirations, and, next steps with a world wide audience.

All three must play some part in your next career move but use them in the manner for what they have been designed and not one generic approach. Read the full article …

Armed Forces leavers have certain work place advantages

Posted on October 11, 2012

When scrolling through dozens of CV’s looking for this candidate or that candidate, many civilian employers would be wise to widen their search into “the hidden” market – the armed forces leavers. Why?

Sure, you may be looking for “specific this” or “specific that” but few candidates tick all the boxes. Fewer still have the flexible skill set or desire to re skill and start again. The service leaver seeking that second career does have this drive. If you seek someone;

Disciplined and focused
Willing to review current working practices
Adaptive to changing circumstances
Understands the value of acquiring new skills quickly
Demonstrates a resourceful “can do” attitude
Positive attitude to work
Dependable and on time

…then look towards the Service Leaver. They are not hard to find.

Britains lost talent (is waiting for your call)

Posted on July 24, 2012

Read this article with interest and could not help but think the “missing skills gaps” could easily be filled with the thousands of quality candidates leaving desert fatigues behind and readied for off shore hard work; The skilled work force that is our recently redundent armed forces – Even more interestedly, the term below “War for talent”, surely these guys know this war better than most?

BP has announced that it can’t fill new jobs because the talent isn’t there.  Trevor Garlick, head of BP’s North Sea operations, said the company could struggle to fill 150-300 new roles, explaining that, “Getting hold of the right people is a real issue for us”.  (See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8699946/BP-says-it-cannot-find-skilled-workers.html). Read the full article …

It all adds up in the end

Posted on March 13, 2012

Quest Resettlement Magazine (March 2012)

Often the simplest of things can prove the hardest to get right. Working abroad, on ship or on a Garrison with limited spending opportunities does not always prepare the resettling soldier to the world of financial transactions. Very often, these money things took care of themselves somehow.

Remember, while it can become stressful when moving intoCivvy Street, the basics of managing your money is exactly that; basic, straight forward and need not be a road to worry if the simple rules are followed. Read the full article …

Returning home for good

Posted on January 23, 2012

Quest Resettlement Magazine (February 2012)

It doesn’t matter at this juncture why your leaving the Services or why your now going to be 24/7 at home (you know what I mean) what matters is making the “transition” to civilian social as smooth and as rewarding as possible. There is huge support for your career transition and you should fully exploit this but Service leavers must also be aware that there is another form of transition pending. Read the full article …

You know your leaving the Armed Forces when….

Posted on January 19, 2012

A few light hearted comments; Do any of these hold true to you?  Read the full article …

Ask us – ask me

Posted on November 6, 2011

Quest recently launched its new ‘Ask us’ service to readers, aiming to offer you responses and solutions to your most frequently asked resettlement-related questions. We are still on the lookout for readers’ questions, so if there is a burning issue troubling you, or you have a query to do with resettlement (however trivial it might seem) to which you just can’t find the answer, email us at askus@questonline.co.uk, and business coach and CTP Associate Keith Turnbull will do his best to help. Read the full article …

Its November again, dont lose your spark

Posted on November 5, 2011

It’s November again – the month traditionally associated with remembering: either ‘gunpowder, treason and plot’ on the 5th or, more importantly, on Remembrance Day, the members of our Armed Forces who have died on duty while serving their country. And, to complement this, remembering is the theme of this month’s ‘From the Editor’. Read the full article …

Nice guys finish last

Posted on October 11, 2011

Nice guys don’t necessarily finish last, but will finish a distant second in the pay stakes, a recent study into earnings and agreeableness has found. Unveiling their findings (reported on the ContractorUK website), researchers at New York’s Cornell University showed that agreeable workers take home considerably less than their harder-nosed colleagues. Read the full article …

Job searching the visiable market

Posted on September 19, 2011

Quest Resettlement Magazine (September 2011)

Raise the bar with the two key areas for job search in the visible market; Recruitment Agencies and Internet based Job Boards.
 
Recruitment Agencies will always remain a massive and valuable part of the job search market. They will always be an obvious first step for advice and receipt of your very well tailored CV. Just remember two things; they should never be the only source for the CV and that they work in many different ways despite what they say. Read the full article …

Finding the hidden job market

Posted on July 13, 2011

Quest Resettlement Magazine (August 2011)

While the percentages may vary between those in the know, it is certainly true that a massive share of the available employment market remains hidden to most. I for one believe this secret market could be as much as 60%. So, you are reading this article, perhaps having spent a few hours trolling through the 40% of all opportunities on the internet sites, and, remember, that’s 40% of all jobs not the type you are looking for. Those are even fewer. So start now and give your search the edge. Read the full article …

So you’re out and you’re working with civilians!

Posted on June 25, 2011

Quest Resettlement Magazine (July 2011)

With your second career underway you will notice some real differences but don’t be anxious or resentful. We do things in different ways, to different timescales and for different (financial) reasons.

First, civilians are simply different not better nor worse. We won’t fully understand your experiences and we may think you won’t understand ours. We may think that we are better in many ways and you “haven’t worked in this world so listen up”. I suggest you look to understand the thinking but you do not have to accept it. Read the full article …

So you want to work for yourself

Posted on May 9, 2011

Quest Resettlement Magazine (June 2011)

There are around 3.7 million workers registered as self employed in the UK today. This number continues to rise although slowly. The diversity of backgrounds and end products served is vast and a great testament to the skill and inventiveness of our working population. While some will make millions most utilise self employment for the lifestyle choices it facilitates. I would recommend approaching self employment for the lifestyle choice it allows over any expectation of uniform to riches. Read the full article …

You have the interview now don’t blow it

Posted on April 12, 2011

Quest Resettlement Magazine (May 2011)

I have heard a thousand times “failure to prepare is preparing to fail”. How true this can be.

Research the company but be clever. Review their web site across all the range of services. Look over the news tab for recent company success, and, I always squint at the careers page; “just how fast are these guys growing” – are they recruiting many? Google the person you are meeting; Interesting? You can be assured they have goggled you!  Lastly, you don’t need to memorise share price or Board structure at this stage, relax. Read the full article …