Author: Marla Gottschalk
I'm Marla Gottschalk — an I/O Psychologist and workplace blogger.
Are You Listening?
Have you ever heard someone described as a really great listener? Being defined in this manner implies all sorts of positive attributes; Fairness. Maturity. Open to opinion.
There are so many reasons to emphasize the power of listening in the workplace. From developing future leaders to teaming skills – the art of listening is a much needed skill set. Many leadership experts feel you simply cannot excel in business today without this skill, and I agree fully. Listening can not only make you more likeable — listining can change the face of your career.
Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, aptly calls this skill set “strategic listening”. No matter what your role or organizational purpose he is adamant that listening is critical. Listening is about respect. It is about making a commitment to others. It is about commitment to progress and change.
What you might gain from tweaking your listening skills:
- You’ll grow as a contributor. Learning to put your own thoughts aside for just a moment, will help you process new ideas. Overall, you’ll be in a better position to absorb more of the knowledge that is around you.
- You’ll be better positioned to handle problems. When challenge occurs – effective listening skills can help you to understand dissenting opinions and varying points of view. As a result, you’ll have a far greater chance of finding needed solutions.
- You’ll discover hidden potential. In many situations, your most effective team members may not be the most highly vocal. Hang back and let them know you value their opinions – they’ll be more likely to come forward and contribute.
We can all improve our listening skills. For now, hold back and let others complete their thought. Then reflect on what you have learned. It’s a great place to start.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She also writes for Talent Zoo and Linkedin.
Sunday Notes – Your Body Language Shapes Who You are: Amy Cuddy – The TED Talks
Can our bodies change our minds? According to the research the answer is yes – and “tiny tweeks can lead to Big Changes.”
Is the Holy Grail of Development You?
I’ve never been one to mince words about workplace topics. I’ll admit this may cause a bit of momentary stress for some of my clients. However, our work lives are far too important to take lightly or “baby”. (For some reason, “walking on eggshells” almost certainly leads to more problems and fewer solutions.) By and large, it is simply more advantageous to lay the cards on the table, than to “bluff”.
Which leads me to the topic of development – that often nebulous career goal that we all seem to seek. We all want to improve and progress career-wise. The problem is that we often sit back and wait for others to craft that path and send us an invitation. Why wait? I am giving you permission to take responsibility for your own development.
Some things to consider:
- Master competition. Get a hold of yourself. Just because your colleague was recognized – doesn’t mean that you are doomed. Becoming effective in today’s workplace requires being able to process the ever-present notion of competition. (You can read “7 Ways to Deal with Workplace Competition” here.)
- Reflect on your failures. Yes, I said it – dwell on your failures. Whether the failure was an overlooked opportunity to collaborate, or a missed client deadline – go back and re-visit them. It might be uncomfortable, but it will be time well spent. You’ll likely learn something that you can apply toward the future.
- Think big. Think of your industry carefully and name the 5 skills or traits that anyone would need to succeed going forward. Imagine you are speaking to an intern in your profession – and that your guidance is the only career advice they will ever hear. What would you tell them that they will need to succeed? Then take your own advice.
- Pinpoint obstacles. The only real expert of you, is you – so get to know your career “self”. I find that utilizing exercises to reveal hidden issues (and talent) is a great option to explore. Try the one explained here, by renowned coach Marshall Goldsmith. Who knows what you’ll uncover?
What role have you played in your own career development? Tell us your story.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist and coach. She also writes for Talent Zoo and Linkedin.
The Challenge of the “Turn Around” Leader
Recently, the leadership skills of Yahoo’s “turn-around” CEO, Marissa Mayer have come into question for addressing what she deemed to be a symptom of a palpable organizational ailment. I was not surprised at the reaction to her decision concerning flexible work — which could only be described as visceral and sensational. However, in my mind, a broader leadership question looms.
At LinkedIn, editor Isabelle Roughol has recounted developments in the evolution of both Yahoo and Groupon. Reading her post, I was struck with the importance of that pivotal “second chance” for ailing organizations — and the unique challenges faced by those leading that charge. Whether we are discussing Yahoo, Groupon, or J.C. Penney, one element remains brazenly obvious. Diagnosing organizational ills and affecting change is a difficult road to travel. Leaders cast in this “savior” role stand the chance of losing the good fight. It is a high stakes, high risk business.
In the case of Ms. Mayer, the proverbial “CEO alarm” was pulled the moment she revoked flexible work options. But, as the days passed and more information emerged, another aspect of the story became evident: the leadership challenges she faces in an organization that is actively seeking change. Bit by bit, information surfaced that was vital to this tale; including how Ms. Mayer determined she really had a serious problem and what motivated her course of action.
Personally, I don’t fault her for addressing what she believes to be a “waning” collaborative environment at Yahoo. ( I don’t view this is an assault on flexible work.) Gathering key talent together, in the hopes of igniting change, makes perfect sense. This action at the very least, begins to set behavioral expectations going forward for Yahoo. Critics abound — but only time will tell if this action contributes to needed change.
Yahoo’s leadership story (and others like it) seem to be at least partially rooted in our level of confidence in leadership — or more specifically, our skepticism. This seems counter intuitive on a very basic level, as a leap of faith is required when any organization needs to evolve. We need to view leadership as the dynamic and risky business that it truly is.
There has long been keen interest in specific leader attributes and how they impact success. However, this may have distracted us from the need for a broader, more integrated definition. Leadership is often a complicated, layered role, where culture and context must meld to formulate strategy. Prescribing the skills required for these leadership roles is an even more complicated task.
At the very least, a leader’s right to develop the best possible “script” for their highly specific situation seems critical. Marissa Mayer is faced with the task of assessing what Yahoo’s culture really needs at this moment to become healthy and productive. (I would hope that a modified flexible work policy will be hammered out as time passes.) Ultimately, a leader’s willingness to implement unpopular organizational decisions in these “second chance” situations, is required.
What do you think? Should we extend more confidence to our high-level leaders?
Strategy Break: Time, time, time.
On certain days, 5:00 PM rolls around and I haven’t accomplished a single task on my “to do” list. I’m doing things – but arguably not the “right” things. Days such as this make me fully aware that it is advisable to take a quick look, every so often, at how we are utilizing our time.
The level of distraction in our work lives has never been greater – on-line, off-line, mobile. Meetings, e-mails, travel. With all of the elements competing for our attention – it’s hard to know if we are making wise “time” choices. A few signs to be aware of:
- You don’t seem to have the time to complete your “best” work.
- You don’t have time to recharge or re-energize.
- You have little time to explore new contacts or projects.
So, I pose this question: Are you an effective time-user? That’s a difficult question to answer. However, I am sure we can all agree that time is a valuable commodity, that commands respect.
Here are a few posts that can help you get on the right path:
- SXSW: Here’s Why You’re Not Productive, Franseca Levy, LinkedIn
- The Ugly Truth About Time Management, The Office Blend.
- How Busy People Find Time to Think Deeply, Ben Casnocha, Linkedin.
- You Should Work From Home Before You Go to Work, Caterina Fake, LinkedIn
- Make Time for Time, Anthony K. Tjan, HBR
- 7 Must- Have ( Free) Mobile Apps to Do Your Job Better, Ryan Holmes, LinkedIn.
What are your time “challenges”? Fill us in.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist and coach. She also writes for Talent Zoo and Linkedin.
10 Career Questions I’d Like to Ask Just About Everyone
It’s an occupational hazard — I love to hear details about people and their work. When meeting someone at a conference or gathering, career related topics always flood my mind. Most questions on this topic consist of the garden variety; Who do you work for? How long have you been with your organization? Do you travel much? But, these aren’t the questions I’d like to pose. I’d like to know much, much more and hear the “unabridged” story. The successes, the failures, the wrong turns, the U-turns — all of the highs and lows.
They all meet and mingle to tell a real-life career story.
Most of us become so busy with our everyday work lives that we fail to carve out a moment to reflect on our own paths. That process would take time and the right frame of mind. However, I encourage you to do so.
So — here are the questions that I would really like to ask you. You can consider them when you have a moment:
- How did you choose your line of work (be completely honest)?
- Would you make that same choice today?
- When you think about work, do you feel energized?
- If you could create your dream role, what would that be?
- Who was your most challenging boss and why?
- Who was your most aggravating co-worker and why?
- Are you most creative alone or on a team?
- What kind of work spaces motivate you?
- What is your most memorable failure?
- What single thing would you change (if you could) to improve your work life?
I’d love to hear some of your answers and what you might do with the information. Feel free to share that here.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. She also writes for Talent Zoo and Linkedin.
The “Fab 5” of Your Work Life
You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with. – Jim Rohn
I’ve heard Jim Rohn’s incredibly insightful quote on a number of occasions.
Every time I hear it I pause — as the message is simply that powerful. Those we surround ourselves with could easily be viewed as a critical life choice, as we absorb the moods, problems and the passions of those around us.
Instinctively, we might first apply this concept to our personal lives — quickly completing a review of our inner circle of friends and family. But really we should also applying this mantra to our work lives. The same standard holds there. Those we surround ourselves with can affect our work lives tremendously, for the better or for the worse.
I began to apply the “Fab 5” to specific work goals. (For example, finding the right guide to become a better speaker). However, this seemed far too limiting.
These 5 individuals should have robust relevance to all aspects of our work lives — a group of key people to serve as a “catalyst”, encouraging both exploration and excellence.
As such, the lineup should afford a broader application of the principle.
Here are my recommendations for the “Fab 5”:
- A mentor. An individual with whom you feel entirely comfortable. They should have a working knowledge of your “dream” career direction or path. Trust is paramount and being candid is required.
- A sponsor. This individual knows how to help you position yourself to facilitate needed career progress. They’ll help you consider options such as a “stretch assignment” or a strategically placed team role. They are masters at “career marketing” and will push your career boundaries.
- A collaborator. We all need a “co-conspirator” who allows you to free-associate and helps you explore ideas. They are likely to be quite creative and open, and not overly critical.
- A devils’ advocate. This role should be filled by someone who can “cut to the chase” and expose any weaknesses in your career logic. They help you to reveal obstacles and keep things “real.”
- An entrepreneur. Somehow you just can’t replicate the mindset of an entrepreneur. They are the whole package. Quick. Creative. Above all, gutsy. They won’t let you sit on the sidelines of your work life for very long.
Don’t limit your “Fab 5” to those you can physically spend time with — connecting online works as well. Look to channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter as potential sources to fill these roles. (Those we connect with virtually can still have the power to change our perspective and drive us forward).
Would you benefit from a “Fab 5” in your work life? Who would you include?
This post was originally published at Talent Zoo
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Are You Career Positive?
Do you have a list of your workplace successes handy in the top drawer of your mind? If you don’t, you may be missing out on a powerful source of energy in your work life. Most of us have a strong tendency to forget to “stop and smell the roses” within our careers – (I am guilty, as well) – and this can create a success paradigm that we can never entirely fulfill.
This week on LinkedIn, I explore the fascinating movement of Positive Psychology, as applied to our work lives. (Find the post here.) Based on the simply brilliant TED Talk of Shaun Achor, we travel the path of potential well-being and success, through the process of learning to be a bit kinder to ourselves and others around us.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist located in East Lansing, Michigan. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Trusting Your Inner Career Voice
Trust yourself. Then you will know how to live. –
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Do you trust your inner voice? Have you ever faced a career-related problem and been bombarded with advice – only to feel lost and confused? Did you have difficulty sorting through all of the sources – hoping to find a reasonable path that you felt comfortable with?
We often hold the key to our own career progress – but we are simply not listening. This week on LinkedIn, I examine the hesitancy we all have to trust that important inner voice. In the post “The Most neglected Brand of Trust”, we consider the reasons behind our failure to listen – and some of the reasons why.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Marla Gottschalk 