The Lean Career Change How To Reduce The Risk And Increase The Speed Of Your Shift

The Lean Career Change How To Reduce The Risk And Increase The Speed Of Your Shift Expert Advice > How to move into your new career The Lean Career Change: How To Reduce The Risk And Increase The Speed Of Your Shift * Where do you start on your career change when you're worried about finances, when you have so few free hours in the day and when it all feels so risky? Richard explains how 'going lean' can help you move forward. What’s the one thing that’s most stopping you find a career you love? Fear? Inertia? Analysis-paralysis? Lack of time? Lack of money? I would argue none of these. Of course you’re feeling them. And of course they’re not helping you make your shift. But I believe there’s a deeper reason. And it’s down to one thing: uncertainty. You’re uncertain about what you really want to do. You’re uncertain about where to start. You’re uncertain about how to make the finances work. Or you’re uncertain about how to break into the field with little or no experience. Uncertainty creates risk. Risk leads to fear. Fear leads to inaction. It’s fundamentally what makes career change tough. So, how do you move forward despite this uncertainty? Look sideways I believe great lessons come from entrepreneurs. The comparison isn’t new. In their book ‘The Start-Up of You’ (well worth a read, if you get a chance), Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha talk about the need for each of us to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to successfully navigate the new career landscape. But what’s particularly interesting is looking how entrepreneurs deal with exactly the same uncertainty challenges you’re facing. This also forms the basis of how we help people at Careershifters. We call it ‘The Lean Career Change’. Thelanguageis adapted fromthe ‘Lean Startup’, a book by Eric Ries that has defined one of the strongest methodologies for the way entrepreneurs navigate the early stages (and uncertainties) of their venture. So how does a Lean Career Change work? Go see for yourself Taiichi Ono, creator of Toyota’s production system, is credited for coining the phrase Genchi Genbutsu, or, ‘go see for yourself’. If there was a problem on the factory floor, he encouraged workers to physically go and see what was happening, rather than reporting it based on theory or speculation. This is the fundamental principle behind the Lean Career Change. It’s called ‘validated learning’. Validated learningworks by testing out your ideas based on facts in the real world â€" not on research, not on planning, and not on the fears or hopes you've attached to your theories. It's about minimising the uncertainty on your journey. But it’s also about making it a lot more fun. There are three steps in the process, shown below. ? Step 1: Build Choose an idea and then figure out the smallest possible thing you can do to practically test it out. In the context of career change, we call this a Shift Project. There are three key requirements of a Shift Project: It should take no more time, effort or cost than is necessary It’s got to make it clear to you whether your idea has some viability as a future work possibility (see Step 2) It must be based in the real world â€" or in other words, involve the principle of ‘Genchi Genbutsu’ Shift Projects can be an hour long or a few months’ long, though ideally, the shorter they are, the better. What are some examples of Shift Projects? Here are some that our Career Change Launch Pad graduates have used in their shifts: Annika, a researcher, spoke to an entrepreneur pioneering more sustainability in the interior design industry to learn more about her work Alex, a project manager, volunteered part-time for a tech start-up to see how it would feel compared to the large corporate environment he’d come from Michelle, an administrator, went to a culinary exhibition to explore how she could potentially turn her love of food into paid work Simon, an IT consultant, started a mindfulness group in his office to test whether he could potentially grow it into a business Notice how our Launch Padparticipants’ Shift Projects were done at little or no cost â€" and how they could be fitted around their day jobs. Step 2: Measure Use three ‘fulfilment metrics’ to assess your project: 1. Resonance (Does it give me energy?) 2. Competence (Am I good at it?) 3. Sustainability (Can I make a living from it?) The intersection of these three â€" what we call your fulfilment sweet spot â€" is ultimately where you’re aiming to get to. But your Shift Project doesn’t need to give you evidence on all three. If it does, great; but if you can sufficiently measure one of these metrics, you’ll have enough to know what next step to take. Step 3: Learn Based on whetheryour Shift Projecthas been successful (or fallen short), you have a choice to make. Do you pivot or persevere? If you discover that your idea meets your fulfilment metrics, you can persevere, potentially running another Shift Projectto help you further refine where you’re headed. And if your idea falls short in a particular area, you’re going to need to pivot â€" or course-correct. Find what doesn’t work as much as what does As Eric Ries says, “if you cannot fail, you cannot learn.” The same goes for career change. It sounds paradoxical, but if you’re going to find the work that’s right for you, you also have to find the work that isn’t right for you. That means taking ‘wrong’ turns or going down dead-ends on your journey. But the advantage of taking the lean approach is that you’re minimising your risks at the same time. How Mark is using the lean career change to make his shift Our coaching client Mark O’Loughlin is a great example of these principles in action. Mark has been stuck for a number of years in his role as marketing manager for a publishing company. He doesn’t have the finances to just quit his job. And besides that, he’s not clear on what else he really wants to do. In our language, he’s a goalfinder â€" he’s searching for his ‘what’. Instead of being stuck in analysis-paralysis, he’s started to run a number of Shift Projects. Mark has always loved working with people. One of his ideas was that life coaching could be an interesting career direction. So, his first Shift Project was attending a coach-training weekend. Because the weekend was free (though clearly being used as a sales mechanism for paid-for courses), it provided Mark with an ideal way to get a taste of coaching without him having to incur costs or take time off work. Even before the weekend had finished, it was clear to Mark this was not for him. “I just couldn’t picture myself doing it. It didn’t motivate me enough.” Or, in order words, it fell short on his resonance metric. So, what did he do? He pivoted. And, as is common at the goalfinder stage, he made a substantial pivot. Maintaining the theme of his love of working with people, he started instead to look at charity fundraising. His next Shift Projecthappened in the pub, where he met a friend who worked as a charity fundraiser for a drink. His conversation with her touched on not only what her role involved day-to-day, but also how she got into the field (she’d also made a shift from sales and marketing). Notice what Mark did here. He didn’t start by Googling fundraising, nor by researching fundraising roles on job sites. Instead, he applied the ‘go see for yourself’ principle and went out into the real world to meet his friend. He also crafted aShift Project that only took a few hours, so he could do it after work. Sufficiently inspired by the meeting with his friend (his Shift Project scored strongly on the resonance metric and her story gave him enough initial evidence that he could use his skills and make a living in the role), he persevered. His next Shift Projectbuilt on his previous one. He asked his friend if he couldshadow her in her role a few hours a week. She agreed. That has since developed from an hour or two here and there to a full day’s volunteering every week, enabling Mark to build experience in the area and positioning him well, as and when the time is right, to make a bigger jump into this area. Mark’s story is one that’s still in progress, but through using lean principles, he’s minimising his risk and maximising clarity about what is really right for him. Get started So how can you apply the lean career change principles to your shift? If you’re searching for your ‘what’ (i.e. you’re a goalfinder): Start a Shift Project. If you’re in a day job, find something you can do in your free time. Make it small. Make it fun. Don’t know what project to start on? Choose something that interests you. The trick is to choose something, even if you’re not convinced it’s the right thing. Just begin. Go through the Build - Measure - Learn feedback loop. Keep your Shift Projects time- and cost-effective. Expect your pivots to be large initially. Repeat the feedback loop as fast as you can. Narrow down to one idea that you can take forward â€" or if you want to have a portfolio career, two or three ideas. Then, move forward into the next steps as a pathfinder. If you’re searching for your ‘how’ (i.e. you’re a pathfinder): Create a Shift Project around whatever it is you want to do. Keep it small. Keep it simple. Go through the Build - Measure - Learn feedback loop. Use your Shift Projectsto build your experience in your field, make new connections and get clarity about how you’re actually going to make your shift. Appreciate that you may need to take intermediary steps â€" and test these too. Once you’ve validated your route, start down it In both cases, if you want to move faster, speed up your build-measure-learn feedback loop. Finally, don’t do it alone. Put a support team around you: it’s going to be one of your greatest accelerators. Our Career Change Launch Pad does exactly this. Or work with a coach. Or build your own team. What’s important is you have people to support you and keep you accountable on your journey. How can you use the lean career change methodology in your shift? What Shift Project can you start on? Leave a comment below.

12 Ways to Bounce Back From a Layoff

12 Ways to Bounce Back From a Layoff As an employer, you are likely tasked with hiring people, but that also means you might have to oversee layoffs. No matter your job type, from manual labor to sitting at a desk, layoffs are inevitable. It may not happen while you’re at the company, but at some point, the business will have to let go of some employees. This is typically due to cutting costs or organizational changes, such as hiring a management company. How can you lay an employee off in the most gentle way possible? The infographic below outlines nine ways people can bounce back after a layoff. However, you can use this advice to form what you say during one of those unpleasant situations. For example, Turbo advises those who were recently let go to keep a positive outlook. You, the employer, can start this positivity by reinforcing the employee’s strengths, contributions, and accomplishments. Emphasize the reality of the circumstance â€" it’s a tough situation for both parties and not any one person’s fault. Make sure you don’t begin the conversation with small talk about the weather or sports â€" it won’t help soften the blow and it’s prolonging the inevitable. Be sure to share the details in writing. When an employee learns they’re being laid off, they’ll likely have questions â€" as they should. Be transparent about when their last day will be, when their last paycheck will arrive, and when they’ll stop receiving benefits. They’ll also need a termination letter to take to the unemployment office. Next, take full responsibility. Communicate that this was a financial decision only, and it had nothing to do with individual performance. Yes, it’s the classic “it’s not you, it’s me” line â€" but it’s the truth, and should help make the severance less personal. Make sure that you’re kind, yet firm â€"  leave no door open for negotiation. Consider saying something like “We do not have another position open for you. This has been a very hard process, but I can assure you it has been reviewed by the highest levels within the company, and the decision is final.” This will spare you from having to discuss if an exception can be made. Make sure to be generous with your severance package. Your reputation and integrity as a company are at stake. At least consider the standard of one month’s pay for each year of service. If you can’t even afford to do the right thing, perhaps you can’t afford to be in business. Set your laid-off employees up for future success by offering resources. Set them up with connections from your professional network. Offer to leave a recommendation message on their Linkedin profile. If for some reason your company has a policy against this, it’s time to ditch that policy. Your employees put in hard work at your company. The least you can do is set them up for success elsewhere instead of turning your back on them as soon as they walk out the door. Finally, ask if the employer has any questions. They’ll likely take over the conversation at this point, and it’s important to listen and answer their questions honestly. Be prepared for their comments, which could range from professional to emotional. Just be sure to stay away from cliches, unsolicited advice, or discussing why this particular employee was laid off as opposed to any other employee. If you want to be remembered as a genuinely caring and helpful employer, start the process of recovering from a layoff early. You never know, the kind words, support, and understanding on your part could be the motivation someone needs to quickly find a new job. About the author: Karlie Kramer writes on behalf of Turbo with an interest in workplace culture. Specifically, she writes on how people can excel in their careers through maximizing productivity and having a positive mindset.

Laugh Yourself To A Better Network (and Brand) - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Laugh Yourself To A Better Network (and Brand) - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Having a good sense of humor â€" whether you are creating the laughter or simply enjoying it â€" is essential to getting people to know, like, and trust you and establishing an attractive brand. Ask yourself, who are you drawn to someone who expresses his or her sense of humor on a consistent basis or the person who makes every moment ultra-serious? Of course, these are two extremes. Nevertheless, if you had to lean one way or another, which would it be? If you consider this question carefully, you would probably conclude that you would be much more comfortable associating with the person with a sense of humor. Who doesnt enjoy a good laugh? Laughter, which is the productive result of humor, is the universal language. It is something that every culture enjoys â€" there has never been (and likely never will be) a society that does not embrace a good chuckle. It is something that people of all ages take pleasure in â€" from tiny babies to those on their deathbeds. It transcends economic status â€" the rich, the poor, and everyone in between enjoy a good laugh (although maybe not at the same things). The enjoyment of laughter is one quality that you have in common with everyone on the planet. As such, it would make sense that, all things being equal, you would opt to associate with the individual who demonstrates a good sense of humor over someone who does not. Thus, humor is important to building a network (and personal brand). Do we have to be so serious? I realize that you may have heard or read a statement like, “There is no place in business for humor.” I know I have. Unfortunately, far too often we buy into it. Think about it. You are one person at home â€" fun loving, with a wide-ranging sense of humor. Then everyone expects you to be someone else when the workday begins â€" stoic and ever serious. Much is wrong with this mindset. Certainly, this attitude strips a degree of enjoyment out of what amounts to the lion’s share of our day. More importantly, this is counterproductive to building strong networking relationships. Yes, there is the risk that humor will serve to tarnish your image of being mature and professional. Additionally, there is humor that is simply not in good taste. Thus, in today’s politically correct environment you need to be careful with when and how you employ humor. This does not mean that we need to abandon it altogether, however. You do not need a stage or everyone’s focus to direct attention to an ironic situation (such as a boss who clamors for more productivity but cannot help but take a mid-afternoon nap). You can also ease the stress of a generally tension-filled business environment by simply throwing out an off-handed comment. These humoristic remarks need only generate a mere smile and a chuckle. It can be nothing more than a comment about the weather, the local favorite sports team or the quality of office coffee. Create humor Or just laugh On the other hand, to enhance your personal brand you do not necessarily need to be the source of the levity. You can add to the lightness of the moment by laughing at the humor of others or acknowledging them for their wit and comic relief. Humor and laughter, as long as it is appropriately used, reminds others that you are human. It is something with which anyone can identify and it is something to which everyone is drawn. In short, humor helps you build know, like and trust. It is nearly impossible to dislike someone who has made us laugh or is genuinely laughing at something funny. Author: Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections. In addition, Frank is the author of Foundational Networking: Building Know, Like and Trust To Create A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success and the co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success on the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website and The Champion: Finding the Most Valuable Person in Your Network.