Down to Business (pt.3)

In this edition I want to highlight some points that were recently addressed in the Harvard Business Review. With a typical issue of HBR you get an array of topics. The OnPoint editions are focused on a particular subject, somewhat like a crystallization study. This issue can be located here. Anyway, after two awesome years in Anaheim with FTTA, I'm a little intimidated by the thought of returning to the business scene. Maybe you can relate. Here are some things I found insightful...



Be prepared to give a 30-second pitch before and after you land a job. One priority is to be ready to explain what ties together your past and current experiences in a way that is compelling and makes sense - what is the glue that holds your story together. The author says, "Think relevant, not recent. There's no rule that says you must talk about your resume in reverse chronological order." Later she explains:

I personally had a significant hurdle to clear with clients as a former Peace Corps volunteer turned investment banker. I explained away the dichotomy of the two by emphasizing to others that I was a big picture thinker by nature and a numbers person by training. Banking was the perfect combination of the two - I liked looking at client's challenges and issues from 30,000 feet and then digging down into the details to come up with creative financing solutions.

It's poetic, but it worked. Another contributor wrote "Shape Perceptions of Your Work, Early and Often." He says:

What matters is not so much what you do, but what people think you have done...Don't assume that anyone - your boss, your peers, or your subordinates - knows the good work you are doing. They are probably focused on their own jobs and concerns. Do things to let them know...When it comes to job performance, be it in politics or in a company, perception becomes reality. This implies that you ought to manage your image and reputation as well as your actual work.

This is a difficult words for most of us to address. Especially if we naturally avoid attention, prefer to give others credit for accomplishments, or have a self-effacing disposition. Regardless, the thought is coherent and well supported. I don't have time to type out every nugget of revelation was helpful to me, but if this catches your attention just snap on those roller-blades, cruise on over to Barnes & Noble, and give it a flip. Au revoir...