Greater Milwaukee Jobs

2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • February 19, 2015 Street smarts can beat book smarts A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5035 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Jeanne Bonlender 262-306-5035 jbonlender@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 23 February 19, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5035 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Speak up if you're doing all the work By Liz Reyer Star Tribune (Minneapolis) & A Q Q. I'm frequently paired on projects with a guy who talks a good game but doesn't do much. How can I handle this so that I either get the recognition for doing all the work or don't have to carry the whole workload? A. Keep your cool and think strategically to make this situation work. THE INNER GAME First, what insight do you have on the reasons you're being matched up with him? Think about how your boss might describe your co-worker's strengths and weaknesses, and then how he'd describe yours.There may well be a perception that, combined, you two bring the whole package. In that case, your task is to deter- mine where you need to develop. Another possibility is that your co-worker is asking to work with you. If so, there may be an impres- sion out there that this pairing on projects is mutually agreeable. Consider any communication you've had with your boss (or whoever is making these assign- ments) about your preferences. If it's probably inevitable that you'll keep working together, think about ways you could influence the details of the assignment. If you take on the less glamorous foundational aspects of a project and sign him up to be spokesman, then you're setting yourself up. Finally, do a reality check on who is actually getting the credit. People are usually savvy about knowing who the freeloaders are and giving credit where it's due. You may actually find that you've earned some good reputation points. THE OUTER GAME Let's assume that you're more of an introvert, inclined to let others speak up first. It might not be comfortable, but you're going to have to take a more active leadership stance. This doesn't mean changing jobs into a management position. But it does mean that you take the lead in project updates, answering questions about project status, etc. Always be prepared, and if you don't have an immediate answer do a fast follow-up. People will then see you as the knowl- edgeable power on a project. Get real with this co-worker on your perceptions of your working relationship. Maybe it's not a full retrospective on all past projects, but try this: when a new project comes along, say something like "in the past you've often missed dead- lines and I've picked up the work. This causes a lot of work stress for me and I want to be sure this project will be different." In designing a project plan, pri- oritize the effort. If there are two things that take about the same effort and one is essential, take that one on. Then, if the task that is secondary fails, the project will still be OK — and you won't have double work. Be candid with your boss and ask for help in managing the situa- tion if it continues. Especially if you've taken direct steps to work through it, management involve- ment may be appropriate. It's not throwing a colleague under the bus if you're trying to make things better. THE LAST WORD It's hard to work with someone who doesn't do their share — stay positive but bring visibility to the issue so it can be resolved. He thinks a greater inward focus during negotiations can pre- vent three terrible reactions: Chickening out. At the last moment, wracked with fear, you don't ask for the raise you want. You hit reply all. You hold it together at work but lash out at your spouse or chil- dren when you arrive home. "They don't serve our true, long-term interests," Ury said. He tells this story to illustrate the business case. A few years ago, Brazil's most famous retailer, Abilio dos Santos Diniz, was locked in a titanic struggle with his business partner, a Paris-based retailer controlled by Jean-Charles Naouri, which had gone on for 2 1/2 years. The Financial Times had described it "as one of the biggest cross-conti- nental boardroom showdowns in history." Diniz's wife and daughter called in Ury, who first asked Diniz what he wanted. The reply was that he wanted the company's stock at a certain price and the elimination of a bunch of people. "Yeah, but what do you really want?" Ury recalled asking. "After a while, he finally said, 'Freedom.' You know. 'I want my freedom.' Freedom from what? 'Well, freedom to pursue my business deals. To spend time with my family.' Once we had that understood, then I asked him, 'Who can really satisfy that deep need of yours for freedom? Who can give you that freedom? Is it really just the other side of the negotiation?'" In four days, the situation was resolved with Diniz stepping down as president of Brazil's biggest retailer, a company his father founded. Diniz set up a new office, started pursuing new deals and took his family on vaca- tion, Ury said. "That, psychologically, believe or not, made the difference because it made the negotiation much easier," Ury said. "Because if you negotiate when you're entirely psychologically depend- ent on the other side, you think only they can satisfy your human needs." It's not the same as backing down. It's more like, when ana- lyzing the battlefield before combat, the most important ques- tion should be whether your troops are ready. It's a question of introspection. "Abilio said, you know, 'I got my life back,'' Ury said. "In some ways, we've been negotiating all this time with one arm tied behind our backs. We've been focused just on external influence, on influencing the person on the other side of the table and neglecting the possibilities of influencing ourselves." negotiate ... from page 1 Once upon a time, you may have thrived in the workplace by being smart. But IQ smart may not be enough anymore. Furthermore, what you already know may not count as much as your willingness to acknowledge what you don't know and your willing- ness to learn more. Edward Hess, a professor at the University of Vir- ginia's Darden School of Business, has done some interesting research into the need to be an "adaptive learner," a person who hon- estly sees his or her short- comings and asks the right questions. I wrote Hess to ask if he'd found generational differ- ences in the tendency to be more afraid of "looking dumb" by asking questions. (Conversely, is there an age group that tends to be false know-it-alls?) Hess dodged any genera- tional schism by answering that he hasn't researched demographic differences. Rather, he wrote back, "Emotional defensiveness is part of our 'human nature' – we all are insecure and fear- ful – it is just a matter of degree (how much) and how we manage it." Briefly, here are Hess's seven main prescriptions for the learning skills needed in most workplaces today: By Diane Stafford The Kansas City Star (TNS) see STREET SMARTS . . . page 6

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