organization behavior Archives - Page 2 of 5

Be For She

September 29, 2014 By Laura Wolfe Leave a Comment

My bookclub is reading I Am Malala this month and the treatment of women in Pakistan she describes is quite disturbing. Sadly, some dismiss it because it is Pakistan but reading in Malala’s words what is going on is terrifying. Suddenly, incidents that devalue women seem to be everywhere and this trend disturbs me as well.

You’ve likely heard about these big news stories but each link has additional commentary, consequences, and responses:

The NFL scandal.

ESPN going for the money.

Derogatory comments on Fox about a female UAE pilot. Check out the awesome response from veterans.

Emma Watson’s UN speech on women’s rights and the subsequent threats against her. In her speech she talks about the important and excellent UN Women HeForShe campaign.

Organizations are critical to changing attitudes through their actions which include among other things ensuring pay equity. Leaders and managers have an important role in making change happen in the the world as they model behavior that employees and others often emulate. Unfortunately, the organizations and the leaders of the NFL and ESPN have largely failed.

My business mantra is Better Managers and my hope is this post will catch the eye of managers and remind them of the immense influence they have.

You and I can make a difference too by taking a stand for women everywhere to be treated fairly. I’m going to adopt this response from the veterans to Fox to use when I hear someone make an insulting joke. “You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused.”

Finally, we can also speak with our wallets. Don’t give your money to organizations that sponsor behaviors you believe inappropriate.

We can change this.

How else are you changing the world? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Are we connected? Find me on facebook, linkedin, google+, & twitter if one of those is your preferred network. I also keep in touch through my (usually) twice monthly newsletter – sign-up below.

My goal is to write 30 blog posts in 30 days the month of September.

#30in30

Noogling

September 25, 2014 By Laura Wolfe Leave a Comment

Spoiler alert – don’t read this if you haven’t seen The Internship and care.

The critics didn’t especially like The Internship starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson but for me it had some redeeming qualities. Like getting to see the Google campus, the chemistry between Vaughn and Wilson (Wedding Crashers is a favorite), and watching underdogs prevail.

The movie chronicles two older guys who inconceivably land summer internships at Google and the craziness that ensues. In the final scene, members of the intern team that earned the most points from various challenges were awarded jobs. Of course, the underdog team which included Vaughn and Wilson wins. They were commended for coming together as a team, collaborating, connecting to people, and connecting people to information which is what Google does.

One of the reasons the movie got panned was because it was mostly a commercial for Google but seeing the world of Google was pretty cool. Would love to know how accurately this movie portrayed the internship experience at Google. I wondered if the nooglers really wear those beanie hats but then I came across this story about how Google assesses interviewees and indeed, nooglers wear the hats.

Google evaluates job candidates on leadership, problem-solving, technical skills, and something they call Googleyness – being an effective collaborator, taking action, and comfort with ambiguity.

It’s not possible to speak for all employers but I think the above qualities are valued by most every organization, not just Google.

If you possess these qualities, communicate that on your resume. Prepare for interviews by identifying experiences you’ve had where you demonstrate the qualities. Frame the experience as a quick story you can tell in an interview.

If you have never worked so don’t have workplace experience, find an internship. The more I work with young adults trying to find the right job, the clearer it becomes that internship experience is critical to work success. I’ve been working with college students for more than 14 years now (11 years at LSU and 3 years as a coach). I look back at former students who did everything in their power to find internships and they are now rockin’ in their career. Those who did internships after their sophomore year, giving them two, maybe three full summer internships are especially successful. Work-related experience is truly key.

I’ve written before about the importance of work experience and how to get that experience.

Yes, the world of Silicon Valley fascinates me. Looking forward to the next season of the HBO series Silicon Valley.

What kinds of experience have you found key to your job search? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Are we connected? Find me on facebook, linkedin, google+, & twitter if one of those is your preferred network. I also keep in touch through my (usually) twice monthly newsletter – sign-up below.

My goal is to write 30 blog posts in 30 days the month of September.

#30in30

Inquiring Companies Want to Know

September 24, 2014 By Laura Wolfe Leave a Comment

Are you familiar with Appreciative Inquiry? If not, read on because here’s a quick overview.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a method for organization development and change management that focuses on strengths and their power at both the organization and individual level.

From a great book on the topic, Appreciative Inquiry – A Positive Revolution in Change by David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney – “Organizations are not, at their core, problems to be solved. Each was created as a solution designed in its own time to meet a challenge or satisfy a need of society. Each is full of vital connections and life giving potential: relationships, partnerships, alliances and growing webs of knowledge, skill and ability that can harness the power of combined strengths.”

The Appreciative Inquiry process engages the powerful positive potential of all organization members and by identifying and aligning strengths makes weaknesses less relevant. It happens via four steps aka the 4-D Cycle:

Discovery – identifying the best in the status quo
Dream – creating a vision of what could be
Design – determining what should be
Destiny – realizing the dream

Appreciative Inquiry is a great addition to the toolkit of today’s managers and other organizational practitioners such as training & development folks. Using AI and emphasizing the positive can result in many desirable outcomes as reported by Cooperrider and Whitney including employees feeling safe, confident, and committed to the organization as well as increased employee participation.

Note: I am not suggesting companies completely ignore weaknesses and I do believe identifying, understanding, and addressing them is a necessary piece of the development process.

AI is a departure from the traditional command and control, employees must be policed school of management and therefore a hard sell to people and companies still operating with a 20th century mentality. Baby steps are required when introducing AI techniques in those organizations.

How are you harnessing the strength in your organization? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Are we connected? Find me on facebook, linkedin, google+, & twitter if one of those is your preferred network. I also keep in touch through my (usually) twice monthly newsletter – sign-up below.

My goal is to write 30 blog posts in 30 days the month of September.

#30in30

Ask For It Ladies!

September 19, 2014 By Laura Wolfe Leave a Comment

bennies The Fall 2014 report by the American Association of University Women on the gender pay gap is out and finds that women still make less than men. Louisiana, where I live, ranks the lowest. Women earn 66 cents here for every dollar a man makes. More evidence reflecting attitudes and how women employees are valued in my community can be found in a recent story about LSU, one of the largest local employers, where only two of the 25 highest paid employees are female.

An old but classic Harvard Business Review article called Nice Girls Don’t Ask reports research about women’s reluctance to ask for more money, their willingness to settle for what is offered, and the assumption the company will take care of them.

Women, be vocal in your desire to make more money. Don’t just think your manager or company will recognize your value and pay you more. You must ask. Learn to negotiate. Don’t know how to negotiate? Sign up for this free course.

Communicate your value, ask for more, and ensure many Ben Franklins will be in your future.

Share your thoughts on the gender pay gap in the comment section.

My goal is to write 30 blog posts in 30 days the month of September.

#30in30