Association Leadership - September/October 2007 - (Page 11)

TSAE update 60-Second Solutions THE GIFT OF A BAD JOB Learning from Career Crisis You probably have experienced it: the job from hell. You might have a toxic boss, or work in a company that’s going under or on a team that deﬁnes the word dysfunctional. Bad jobs can actually be a gift, if you choose to see them that way. 1. Bad jobs show us what “good” we are looking for. We learn clearly what we want by experiencing what we don’t want. Bad jobs can actually help us create our “must have” list for the next go-around. 2. Bad bosses teach us how to supervise. When you are suffering with a “bad” supervisor, make mental (and written) notes on how you plan to change things when you get the chance to manage others. 3. In a ship going down, sometimes you get to be captain. One worker used her experience in a company that was going bankrupt to her advantage. As her co-workers bailed out, she stayed on and gathered more experience and a better title. She used those assets to give her career a boost. 4. Dysfunctional teams often teach you teamwork. Many project managers know better how to operate after working on a team with a weak leader. You can also cause great changes by simply being your best. Then, you have a great story to tell in an interview. 5. Bad jobs make us passionate about making a change. The saying goes, “The good is the enemy of great.” When things are good, you are more likely to stay in a job you have outgrown. Use your passion to move you forward. 6. Bad jobs cause us to seek outside advice. When you are frustrated within a company, you are more likely to network, to seek mentors and to pay for outside coaches to help you. These activities all broaden your perspective. 7. Bad jobs make us appreciate what we get later. Gratitude for a great boss, a good salary and beneﬁts is always appropriate. The grateful person is a delight and makes a great employee. There you have it. There are gifts in even a bad job. Use your passion to get up, get out and start over in a fresh spot. Catherine Jewell is an author and keynote speaker on the topic of “STAR Performance.” She works with professional service firms to upgrade their business presentation and selling skills. To learn more, call 800829-5648, visit www.CatherineJewell.com or e-mail her at cj@CatherineJewell.com. USING E-MAIL TIME WISELY Stop wasting time reading unwanted e-mail messages. Follow the example of one busy team leader. He decided to respond to every e-mail for a week with a note on its appropriateness. He responded with one of three comments: 1. Keep sending this sort of critical information 2. Send this to a responsible person on my team, not me 3. Do not send me this kind of information After one week, his e-mail load dropped signiﬁcantly. From Team Management Briefings, www.briefings. com. WAYS TO AVOID STAFF BURNOUT Keep your team motivated and happy by following these few simple steps: 1. Don’t let your staff wear “I get no sleep” as a badge of honor. Listen to your team and ﬁnd out what’s working and where they’re overloaded. 2. Share the load among managers. Communicate regularly to ﬁnd out how much everyone has on their plates and tell them which projects to prioritize. 3. Don’t expect them to be workaholics. Encourage your staff to take time for their personal lives, and lead by example. 4. Remind them that not everything is an emergency. Good strategic planning and cooperation with your board will go a long way toward a happy staff. ◆ Adapted from Leadership Strategies, Dec. 2004. September/October 2007 | Association LEADERSHIP 11 http://www.CatherineJewell.com http://www.briefings.com http://www.briefings.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Association Leadership - September/October 2007

Contents Chairman's Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions An Interview with TSAE’s New Chairman TSAE’s Newest Board Members 7 Measures of Success Association Case Study: Diversity on the Board Assessing Your Association: Texas Nursery and Landscape Association TSAE's Annual Golf Tournament Between the Covers Now Online at TSAE.org – Association Leadership Magazine Getting Found Through Web Searches “I Survived a Year on a Committee!” New Members Community Spotlight San Antonio Mississippi Gulf Coast Index to Advertisers Board of Directors

Association Leadership - September/October 2007

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