Working to Be a Leader

No matter where you are in your career, it is important to be proactive, to fill a gap, to meet unmet needs.  Here’s an example of what I mean.

At the end of the spring semester, a former student called me up and shared with me her frustration over not being able to find a job in her major of human resources—or even an unpaid internship.  She started to cry and, after reassuring her she would find something, we talked about specific ways she could move forward.

That and other phone calls from students past and present inspired me to propose teaching a class during the summer to help alumni and students in their job searches.  The Chair of the Management Department at Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College considered the idea a good one and got the needed approvals.

The class went very, very well.  Everyone was engaged, open, and willing to trust each other.  They participated in mock interviews, role playing the interviewer or potential client.  They networked with each other and honed their elevator speeches.  Resumes were reviewed as were rules of etiquette in the job search process.

What I did was fill the need for a way students could actively work on their job search.  The experience was a win-win-win:  I won because my idea for a class was supported; the students won because they learned practical career skills; and the Management Department won because they met their students’ needs.

On Saturday, October 17, the Management Dept. will once again offer “Supercharge Your Job Search.”  During one day, we will cover the topics you need to start your job search and take the next step in getting a job or positioning yourself to change careers.

Baruch alumni and students can register and pay for the class by calling Linda Moore at 646-312-3625.

Here’s a couple of comments from two who attended:

—Sharing and doing exercises pushed me to realize the important of networking and maintaining relationships.

 —After a role-playing exercise, I got instant feedback from the class members and instructor on my interviewing skills.

Remember to think about ways that you can be proactive to move forward in your career search.

Although I didn’t blog this summer, I did write, finish, and submit a short piece to The New York Times.   When Michael  Pollack from the newspaper called to tell me it was going to published, I was shocked!  And very pleased!

One of my goals for years has been to be published in the Times.  And I achieved that goal by sharing a personal story that always put a smile on the face of the listener.

My work appeared on Monday, July 6, in the “Metropolitan Diary” which is made up of entries of quirky vignettes of scenes and experiences in New York City.

The published version appears below.  Let me know if reading it puts a smile on your face!  And what’s one of the goals you want to achieve.

Dear Diary:

In March 2007,  I moved out of my apartment to make room for a total renovation.  I gave my $139 television away knowing that I could replace it later with one that fit my new decor.  When I moved back to my “new” gorgeous home in August, I found that I wasn’t in a hurry to get a TV.  In fact, I still don’t have at TV.  However, I did watch a TV program in my home.

One day last September I was working in my study, turned on the radio and listened to the start of the ceremonies celebrating the former Yankees who played in what would soon be the former stadium.  I looked up and noticed that my neighbor, about 25 feet away in another tower of my building, had his large flat-screen TV turned on to the program.

Pulling out my sofa and angling it a little, I got a good view of his screen through two sets of clean-enough windows.  I sat back with a beverage and enjoyed the program almost as if the TV screen were in my living room.  The sound was not in sync, but I easily adjusted.

There was one slight problem.  When the ceremonies ended and the Yankees game began, Iwas still listening to the radio.  However, a movie came on the TV.  “Change the channel,” I wanted to yell over.  I refrained.

Today is September 1, 2009, the start of a new semester teaching at Zicklin School of Business.  Even when I wasn’t teaching, I always felt that September was a new start, a new beginning, a time to put into action what I might not have gotten done during the summer—or even the spring.

My last blog “Congratulations Future Leaders” was posted on May 27 and was still visible a couple of weeks ago.  I know because I was a co-presenter of a program on “Social Media:  What’s the Return on Investment?” and used my blog to explain what a blog was to those in the audience who didn’t know.

It also pointed out how not to use a blog.  That is, to be successful, you must write blog entries two or three times a week.  What happened to my last blog entry I don’t know.  Maybe I can find it.  Maybe not.  It was a piece directed to the seniors at Zicklin, part of Baruch College, and included my good wishes to them for a good career as the leaders we need in the future to guide us.

It’s now been three months without writing a blog and my readers need an explanation.  I’m calling my time away my summer vacation.  Although I drafted blog entries, nothing seemed to come together in a final form.  Very unlike me, a prolific writer.  My lack of coherence was due to shifts in my personal life which kept me from the focus and the momentum that I had built up with my blog.

Today is the first day of class.  It is the first day of my renewed commitment to writing a blog and working to be the best leader that I can be.