Getting Outside

How often do you walk outside during your workday? The apparel industry can be demanding and often people immerse themselves in work. I am guilty. I realized at 7pm the other day that I hadn’t been outside since I walked into the office that morning. The next day, I promised myself I would at least walk outside for ten minutes. If that meant I was ten minutes late for my next meeting, so be it. Even a short break can change your perspective and refresh your thinking. The next day, I stayed true to my self-promise and made my way outside. I felt focused, positive and recharged. Every meeting I had was more productive as a result. My coworkers got a better person.

What can you do to stay focused during the day? When are you at your best? How have you taken care of yourself so that you can be at your best? What differences have you seen in yourself when you are recharged?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Work Hard or Work Smart

I once had a leader that I respect say something to me that will stick forever.  I was an internal corporate recruiter.  It was just before the boom of electronic resume databases.  Resumes came in the mail on paper.  Applicants called to inquire about jobs.  We only used email to communicate internally corporately. (I know I sound like a dinosaur.)  We would post an ad in the paper, wait for the resumes to come, review EVERY one of them and follow up accordingly…with EVERY one. 

This employer was in the top 100 companies to work for in the United States.  When we would post a job there was more work than you could get through, even in an extended day. 

I have always been a “hard worker” it is a value my father had and I am proud of it.  I would work very late until all of the resumes were processed and I had a plan put together for the next day.  It was manual and I did it as “hard” as I could.  I wanted my boss to value it too.  I wanted him to appreciate the “hard work” I was doing.  He saw the late emails coming from me in the office on a regular basis. 

One morning he came to my desk and said, “Kari, I appreciate how hard you are working but I would prefer to see you work smart and get out of here at a reasonable hour than work hard and burn out.”   At first I was crushed.  But it was truly one of them most valuable things that someone has said to me in my career.  I started to think about it.  How could I work smart?  There were lots of things about what we did that didn’t really make sense to me.  How could I make that better?  I had just picked up what I was shown how to do and never questioned if there might be a smarter way.  Maybe finding shortcuts wasn’t lazy, maybe it was smart.

I was free to try brand new things with the process of recruiting.  The next job opening I decided we would engage the hiring managers.  We were tasked with hiring a large group of IT people all at one time.  I decided to advertise for an open house.  Candidates were to come with their resumes and be prepared to meet with the hiring managers.  We had food and beverages for the candidates. We provided areas where they could learn about the company and the jobs we were filling.  Candidates had the opportunity to meet with the hiring managers.  We hammered out a week’s worth of work by the old “process” in a 4 hour evening event.  We made multiple hires from this first event and it was a process that we continued to use successfully for several years.

This position on working smart is a principle I try to use to this day.  Are there things in your job that could be done more effectively?  Were you trained on processes that you have followed but they don’t really make sense to you?  See what happens if you spend some time thinking about how you could be smarter about what you do every day.  We would love to hear what happens.

Work-life balance... in your current role

If you read last week’s post by Kari, you know how important it is to be up front about your need for work-life balance before starting a job. What if work-life balance wasn’t important for you when you started your job, but your circumstances have changed? When you started this job a couple years ago, you had a different life, different priorities and different goals. You were willing to eat three meals a day at your desk. It was no problem to not see the daylight on a workday… or even the weekend.

Things have changed. Maybe you are realizing you are out of shape and want to get back to the gym? Maybe you just had a baby or you realized your child is growing up without you? Maybe you did some vision work with your career coach and realized you want more from life than work? Maybe you just want to see your family and friends more? Whatever the case, how can you gain work-life balance in an existing role?

The first step is to understand what is keeping you late in the office. The root cause can help you understand how to deal with your hours. How many of the late nights are a result of your own-doing vs your boss or workload? Right now, most people are saying- ‘oh, it’s the workload.’ Or- ‘it’s definitely my boss.’ Before answering, think really carefully. How do you trust your team to accomplish their goals vs micromanaging? How can you give better direction rather than participate in every meeting? What are you doing that may not be necessary or productive? How much time do you spend making small talk around the office vs focusing on your work? What do you let derail you from urgent projects? How can you better manage your time? I had someone once tell me that it takes 2 minutes on average to read and deal with an email. I get about 150 emails a day… that is almost 5 hours of just reading and answering emails! What can I do about it? I decided that picking up the phone or having a 15 minute meeting with a small group can clear up a flurry of emails- 15 minutes… eliminates 15 emails… equals 15 minutes back to me!  

After taking a good look at your own actions, what were you able to gain? If this is still not what you are looking for, consider discussing your situation with your boss. I say consider because you will know better than anyone else what his/ her position will be. How productive will the conversation be? What should your positioning be in that conversation? How can you best connect with your boss on this point? How can you help offer solutions to give you more work-life balance? What flexible options could help give you more balance? For example, do you have a long commute? Could working from home one day a week give you more time to get actual work done vs driving?

What other ideas do you have to bring work-life balance? How can you help your co-workers and employees to also gain work-life balance? How long are you willing to tolerate your current hours?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Work-life balance... in your current role

If you read last week’s post by Kari, you know how important it is to be up front about your need for work-life balance before starting a job. What if work-life balance wasn’t important for you when you started your job, but your circumstances have changed? When you started this job a couple years ago, you had a different life, different priorities and different goals. You were willing to eat three meals a day at your desk. It was no problem to not see the daylight on a workday… or even the weekend.

Things have changed. Maybe you are realizing you are out of shape and want to get back to the gym? Maybe you just had a baby or you realized your child is growing up without you? Maybe you did some vision work with your career coach and realized you want more from life than work? Maybe you just want to see your family and friends more? Whatever the case, how can you gain work-life balance in an existing role?

The first step is to understand what is keeping you late in the office. The root cause can help you understand how to deal with your hours. How many of the late nights are a result of your own-doing vs your boss or workload? Right now, most people are saying- ‘oh, it’s the workload.’ Or- ‘it’s definitely my boss.’ Before answering, think really carefully. How do you trust your team to accomplish their goals vs micromanaging? How can you give better direction rather than participate in every meeting? What are you doing that may not be necessary or productive? How much time do you spend making small talk around the office vs focusing on your work? What do you let derail you from urgent projects? How can you better manage your time? I had someone once tell me that it takes 2 minutes on average to read and deal with an email. I get about 150 emails a day… that is almost 5 hours of just reading and answering emails! What can I do about it? I decided that picking up the phone or having a 15 minute meeting with a small group can clear up a flurry of emails- 15 minutes… eliminates 15 emails… equals 15 minutes back to me!  

After taking a good look at your own actions, what were you able to gain? If this is still not what you are looking for, consider discussing your situation with your boss. I say consider because you will know better than anyone else what his/ her position will be. How productive will the conversation be? What should your positioning be in that conversation? How can you best connect with your boss on this point? How can you help offer solutions to give you more work-life balance? What flexible options could help give you more balance? For example, do you have a long commute? Could working from home one day a week give you more time to get actual work done vs driving?

What other ideas do you have to bring work-life balance? How can you help your co-workers and employees to also gain work-life balance? How long are you willing to tolerate your current hours?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Discussing Work Life Balance in the Interview

This week a candidate asked me how best to approach this topic.  She had interviewed very well and was told the company was going to discuss putting together an offer.  She is career driven and very smart.  She also has a young child who goes to bed at 8pm.  It is important to her to be home to spend time with her child before bedtime.   The hiring manager for the role the candidate is interviewing for, made it sound like the hours might be long.   The candidate was uncertain about how to discuss during the interview.   

Experience indicates honesty and candidness are really important.  If you know what hours you are willing to work it is important to be candid DURING the interview process, prior to accepting an offer.  Discuss directly with the hiring manager. (Preferably right after you have convinced them you can do the work they need done.)  Our industry RARELY accommodates a 40 hour work week but if you are willing to work some flex hours from home I have seen employees who deliver results and get their work done be granted some flexibility with their schedules.  

If this candidate takes the job without mentioning that it is important to be home before 8 pm to spend some time with her child, and the corporate culture/hiring manager require regularly working until 7:30….everyone is in a no win situation.  If the hiring manager knows up front and they discuss ways that they can make this work then the offer can be extended and there won’t be any surprises.

Think about what you need to be happy for your work life balance.  Some people love working and are at a point where they are willing and able to put in whatever hours it takes.  Some people need to recharge spending time with friends, family, the pursuit of fitness, their passions and hobbies.  They are still skilled and wildly productive in their positions.  Be prepared to discuss the ideal balance for you. Then listen to what the hiring manager expects.  Many times agreement can be reached if it is discussed up front.   If common ground can’t be negotiated then it is likely the role is not a long term fit anyway. 

From a hiring manager perspective:  What do you need from the employee in the open position?  Are there days and times that are absolutely required?  Do you expect people to work the same hours you do? What flexibility can you offer without compromising the business if they need to accommodate a daycare schedule, family/social event, an ill family member etc?  

It is best to be clear and candid about this with candidates during the interview process.  Don’t paint a picture that is rosier than real life.  This will assure that the candidate you hire has a full understanding of what to expect from a work life balance perspective.  The odds of them staying on your team long term are much greater.   

Do you think our industry requires more hours than others?   Have you ever been required to work more than you felt was healthy for you?  As a manager what would/do you expect of your employees from a work schedule perspective?

Get a life

Just one more email… one more phone call… one more meeting. It is easy to get swallowed into the workplace. Constant changes and moving deadlines make the fashion industry especially daunting. Sometimes you step back and think… wow. We are talking about a button. I just blew off dinner with my sister because I need to stay in the office to update the color of a button on two hundred styles before the night is over.

How has your personal life suffered as a result of work? How has your career suffered as a result of your personal life? How can you introduce a work-life balance and succeed in your job? What are the non-negotiables for you in your personal life and in your career? Who can help you find the right balance? How can you create boundaries that help you maximize your time and happiness?

For information on career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

The boss who takes over your life

I have a friend; we’ll call her Mary (not her real name). Mary’s boss used to make her spend an inordinate amount of time working and hanging out together. Lunches together were mandatory. Happy hour: mandatory. Late night calls: frequent. Mary didn’t feel like she had a choice in spending time with her boss. The boss would sometimes talk about work, but more often than not the conversations were focused on work gossip or the boss’ personal life. Once, Mary told her boss she couldn’t do lunch together and her boss retaliated by bringing one of Mary’s coworkers into the new hot seat. For weeks, Mary’s boss gave her the cold shoulder. It wasn’t long before Mary found her way back into her boss’ good graces. Although Mary frequently complained about her boss’ behavior, she let it continue and sometimes encouraged it.

This situation continued for years until Mary’s boss was eventually fired. I wish I could say this story was an anomaly. Unfortunately, the industry is a breeding ground for bosses who will push past people’s boundaries when permitted. While you can’t control your boss, you can control your reaction to the boss’ extraordinary demands. If you are currently working with a boss who takes over your life, how can you respectfully express your boundaries? How much are you willing to sacrifice for your career? How do you determine what the balance is between work and your personal life?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com.

Saying yes

There have been many books and blogs written about saying yes to everything. I even think there was a movie about saying yes. It sounds fun and adventurous until you think about the reality of doing so. It would simply be overwhelming to say yes to everything. I am way too pragmatic to make the sweeping decision of yes, but have realized that saying no shuts a door. I decided to say yes more often than not. I know that doesn't sound exotic or exciting, but it has helped me with my career.  

Whether you are looking for a job or happy in your current role, overwhelmed or content in your workload, I have found saying yes can have positive repercussions. When a recruiter calls about an open position, I have always taken the call even if I am not interested. Why would I waste my time? I found it is not a waste of time to make connections. I will listen to hear about the role and happily refer someone who may be a great fit. When I had a recent period of unemployment, I found those relationships I had built with recruiters over the years invaluable.

How else could saying yes help your career? There was a period of time when I was leading a design team during the day and completing my MBA at night. At work, I was asked to take on additional responsibilities outside the scope of my job. The new duties seemed like a strange request given my role at the time. I was already overworked but decided to say yes. Because I performed well in these additional responsibilities, I was able to make a much desired career shift into merchandising. I didn't sleep much during that time, but the short-term pain lead to long-term gains.

Although saying yes to everything could lead nowhere, I recommend you think before you close the door by saying no. What have you said no to that you regret? Where is there an opportunity to say yes right now in your career? How can you identify what you should stay open to?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com. 

A bad weed

There is a lot of bad behavior in the fashion industry. It seems everyone I talk to has or had an experience with at least one monster in the workplace. I define a monster as someone who makes the workday miserable with their diminishing behaviors, manipulations, obnoxious attitude, and torturous conversations. For clarification, I will give you a couple examples. I had a boss once who insisted on beginning her meetings with her direct reports at 5pm. That wouldn’t be a big deal if the meetings lasted an hour or two, but they lasted for over four hours. It also wouldn’t have been a big deal if we were busy all day or if it happened once in a while. I have no problem working a 70 hour week if there is a reason. For example, if there is a staffing issue or a new project or just plain old crunch time, I am happy to eat all three meals at work and have a few sleepless nights. These nightly meetings were happening because that was when my boss wanted to work. She would insist that we work those same hours. At another company, the president called a group of direct reports drunk from Hong Kong to tell them they were all worthless stupid idiots. He was yelling at the group over speaker phone. These are just two quick examples I can think of off the top of my head. If I sit for a minute more, I could keep going.

Coworkers, underlings and bosses alike will defer to this one person because of their talent, knowledge or long-standing role in the company. I have seen it first hand and it never ceases to shock me. What would be the reason that a manager would keep someone on the team who is clearly behaving badly? In my experience, there are a couple reasons managers or companies will tolerate this bad behavior.

Unparalleled Skills- The company or manager has the belief that only this person can do the job. Management thinks this person has a talent or knowledge that would be impossible to replace.

Culture Defining- The company or manager has a belief that it will anger a higher up if this person is ‘defied’. This person has usually worked at the company for a number of years and has a close relationship with a founder, president or CEO.

No Idea- The manager sees a very different person than the monster you see. S/he has a different set of behaviors with those that ‘matter’.

In my experience, the monster will continue to get away with his/her bad behavior until enough people make noise or several people leave the company as a result of monster interactions. I have also seen monsters survive in companies for many years despite the company having this awareness. Note to managers dealing with a monster: not once have I seen a company crumble when the bad weed is plucked out.

What can you do if you are working with a monster? What behavior will you tolerate from them? How does management feel about that person? How do you know that the company is aware of what you and your colleagues may see? How can you bring awareness to the monster’s behavior while staying positive and keeping your job? How have you dealt with monster behavior in the past?

I would be very interested to hear your comments so we can learn through your monster stories. I will revisit this topic on a future date once I have some great comments!

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com. 

Boundary: When your boss has crossed the line

It was the night of our annual office holiday party. The air was buzzing. People left the office early to go home and primp. Some even had hair appointments. At the company where I was working, the annual holiday party was a BIG deal. We could expect an amazing gift, fantastic food, great music and a celebrity appearance or two. This was the kind of event made famous in the fashion industry. Excessive drinking and dancing were expected. No one was expected to be professional on these nights; in fact, I think it was frowned upon. Holiday party stories would be the foundation of office entertainment until at least February.

Every year before the annual party, I would take my team out for a nice dinner so we could all coat our stomachs before the real drinking began. It also gave us a time to bond as a smaller team. This was a time that my team and I appreciated and truly enjoyed. They would lay out plans regarding alcohol intake and dance moves. Bets were placed on who would get in trouble with their spouses later that night.

Unfortunately, I had an impromptu meeting with my boss and had to stay much later than expected. My boss was notorious for these last minute, ‘emergency’ meetings and I prepared for the possibility by bringing my party dress with me to the office that day. When my boss first came to find me about this meeting, I was very clear with her that I needed to leave at a certain time as I was taking my team to dinner. She acknowledged this point but later when time was up didn't seem to care and continued the meeting. Eventually, I just got up and said ‘this can wait until tomorrow. I have to get ready for tonight.’ I left her made-up emergency meeting and went into the bathroom stall to change into my party dress. Five minutes later, she followed me into the bathroom to continue the meeting. I answered her questions and she finally left. Five minutes later she was back with more questions! This woman followed me into the bathroom… twice. She was out of control. I promise you that this ‘emergency’ meeting was absolutely not an emergency. My boss had just decided this was when she wanted to meet.

What did I do to let her think this was acceptable? I thought I had created a boundary but my boss just ran right over it like she was crossing the finish line of a marathon. In retrospect, I was not clear enough. I knew this woman and her bad behaviors. I created that boundary but then I let her cross it.

What could I have done to protect my boundary and keep my job? I have thought about this quite a bit over the years. The first time she came into the ladies room, I should not have answered her questions, but let her know I could help her for five minutes after I was done changing and out of the bathroom. By answering her immediately, I showed her that following me into the bathroom was acceptable.

What would you have done in this situation?