Working as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Management Department at the Zicklin School of Business within Baruch College is a labor of love.  I love what I do and enjoy the role of helping undergraduate students be prepared for their careers as managers and leaders, especially teaching “Organizational Behavior” which I define as how people act and interact in a particular setting.

When we met for the first time on a day in late August of 2008, my supervisor told me the amount I’d be paid for being an Adjunct.  I looked at him with a smile on my face since I had previously been an Adjunct at another CUNY school and knew the range.  He said words to the effect, “Being an adjunct is an intrinsic experience, not an extrinsic one.”  Meaning, it’s about the rewards of imparting knowledge to those seeking it and not the monetary value of the work.

A previous post, Teaching – The Most Important Job in America, describes how I feel about standing up in front of a classroom two evenings a week to share the knowledge I’ve gained through consulting, coaching, and working at some very interesting companies—plus reading the required textbook:  Organizational Behavior 14^th Edition by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge.

My pedagogic philosophy is centered on one thing:  meeting the needs of my students so that they will succeed in their academic endeavors and career development.  Below are suggestions and behaviors to make the spring semester of MGT 3300 a very good experience for everyone involved.

Journey.  My students and I will be together for 2,175 minutes spread out over 29 sessions from January 31 until May 22^nd.  The major behavior students will experience in my classroom is moving out of their comfort zones.  During Baruch’s 46^th Commencement ceremonies, Provost James McCarthy spoke of the many reasons why I was soon going to receive the Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching from President Mitchel B. Wallerstein on the dais in front of a sea of graduating students.  As I remember, the Provost said more than once the reason my students nominated me was that “Prof. Henderson moves her students out of their comfort zones” while my soon-to-be student alumni in the audience nodded their heads.  Being open to growth is not just a behavior in the classroom; it is one that companies expect.

Show Up.  Since I started teaching at Zicklin in the fall of 2008, I have be present at every class until last October when for medical reasons, I had to miss eight classes before I was able to return to finish the semester.  I expect students to be present as well.  Those that do not show up over a period of time lose the flow of the classroom but also the learning that has been gained.  My suggestion is that each student has a “Class Colleague” to contact when they miss a class or want to clarify the assignment.

On time.  My routine is to come to class around 15 minutes early to be organized for a prompt start to class.  When I say, “Good evening, class,” it is time to start and a good percentage of students are in their seats.  Those that come in late repeatedly are duly noted in my attendance sheet; being late many times impact a student’s participation grade.

Prepared.  There is always an assignment for our next class and that is usually to have read a chapter in the textbook.  Not just read but prepared to have a question or to answer a question during class.  There will be four guest speakers during the semester and students are expected to read their bios, find out information about the speakers’ companies, etc. so that they can ask relevant questions of the speaker.

Participate.  The experiential learning approach I use in the classroom has been honed during a long career of being an educator.  Each student is expected to learn the names of the other students in the classroom and get to know where they work, what they do, etc.  Debates are part of the curriculum as is a chance to recite lines from Shakespeare.  Interaction with class colleagues is a way to learn, expand awareness, and understand other company cultures.

Present.  Everyone needs to be fully present during class.  What that means is that smart phones are turned off or are put on vibrate then put out of sight.  They are not to be on a desk, in a lap, or anywhere why they can be seen.  My eyesight is still good and I have seen students looking down at their phones thinking that I can’t see what they are doing.  Our class is 75 minutes long and no one, not even this instructor, is that important that e-mails or instant messages can’t wait until after the session.

Resources:  During the semester, there are four written assignments that require critical thinking, situation analysis, proper grammar, etc.  To help students, a librarian from the Newman Library comes to class to share with my students how to find the research they need for their papers.  Baruch College’s Writing Center helps students to improve their composition and grammar skills.  Students can request an appointment online.  The Counseling Center helps students talk about what might be keeping them from functioning at their best in class.  One of my students began the semester by earning a grade of C on papers.  After appointments with the Writing Center and the Counseling Center, she earned an A- as her final grade.

By the end of the term, my students are grateful for learning from and interacting with their classmates and I am proud that one more cohort of students gained the opportunity to be part of an experiential learning adventure.

P.S.  Two more things about classroom behavior:  I have a good sense of humor and will be sad if the New York Giants do not win the Super Bowl!

Nicholas Kristof posted “The Most Important Job in America” on his blog “On the Ground” at The New York Times on Saturday, January 21, 2012.  The esteemed columnist writes that, “I think education is, in the long run, the most important challenge America faces and the one where we’re in greatest difficulties. If we want to maintain economic competitiveness and chip away at poverty, we simply have to improve high school graduation rates and college attendance — and that in turn will depend on an overhaul of the entire education system, starting with early childhood education.”

Kristof’s blog post introduced his next day’s column:  “How Mrs. Grady Transformed Olly Neal.”  The short story is that Neal, an incorrigible elementary school boy who brought his English teacher Mrs. Grady to tears one day, picked up a book in the library, read it, liked it, returned it then was delighted to find another book by the same author.  He found a third book, then a fourth, etc.  Thinking that Neal didn’t want to be seen reading a book, Mildred Grady always placed the new book where he could find it.  Not until he was an adult and saw Mrs. Grady at a high school reunion did she tell him that she drove to a book store 70 miles away to buy books by the same author for him to read.

Thanks to the generosity, patience, and forgiveness of Mrs. Grady, Kristof writes about Neal that, “His trajectory changed, and he later graduated to harder novels, including those by Albert Camus, and he turned to newspapers and magazines as well. He went to college and later to law school.  In 1991, Neal was appointed the first black district prosecuting attorney in Arkansas. A few years later, he became a judge, and then an appellate court judge.”

As someone who last year earned Baruch College’s Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching, I agree with Kristof about the importance of the job of teaching.  I like to think and have been told that I offer students the opportunities to transform their lives and grow into a career they love.

My first semester teaching on the college level was in the Marketing Department at New York City Technology College in downtown Brooklyn in 1990.  “Why I Teach” is the title of a blog that I posted that includes a letter of gratitude from one of students who was in my first Public Relations class.

Following is the note a brilliant student sent me in a Thank You card at the end of my first math class.  It will give you an idea of how my teaching style motivates and inspires students.

Our last scheduled class ends today and I can honestly say that I’m going to miss it!  I’ve learned a lot more that math this semester.  I have learned about caring, sharing, and friendships.  You have built up my confidence and I feel as though I can accomplish just about anything.  You have given me a direction in life which I plan to follow.  I thought this was just supposed to be a math course! 

I greatly appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.  Thank you for caring enough to motivate me.  You’re doing a great job!

Sincerely, Steve Armand

Over twenty years later, I will begin teaching another class with the same respect for my students and the belief that my job is the most important one in America.

Where were you when you heard that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been killed?

In the afternoon of April 4, 1968, I was walking with a friend on Telegraph Avenue after leaving the campus of the University of California at Berkeley where I was a student.  It was then that I heard the news that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee.  News of his assassination spread quickly on a campus that was the center of the Free Speech movement, protests against the Vietnam War, racial equality, women’s equality, etc.  I was sad to hear about a man who was marching to bring about equality, a man who wasn’t afraid of marching and risking his life, a man who gave his life and left a platform on which others could build a more diverse and equal America.

My memory fails me as to what exactly I did next after learning the news of King’s assassination.  But looking online, I found an article “Where Were You in ’68?  Faculty and staff memories conjure a tumultuous decade’s most eventful year” that was published in the June 4, 2008, UCBerkeley News.  Irene Hegarty, who graduated in 1968 and went on to be the Director of Community Relations at Cal, described how the campus responded. 

Some of the students “were called to a meeting at a vice chancellor’s house to advise on how the campus should acknowledge the event.  It was decided that classes would be cancelled for the afternoon of the next day so that students could go to religious services nearby; that there would be a special carillon concert of spirituals played at the Campanile, followed by ‘We Shall Overcome’; and that students would gather at Sproul Plaza for a minute of silence and could then voice their feelings.” 

Hegarty goes on to describe what surprised yet didn’t surprise me since we were students on a campus that had diverse opinions on every topic.  She writes, “I sat on the Sproul Hall steps that day, listened to the music, and cried, while thousands of students gathered. After the music and the silence, someone stood up and said some words honoring King, but then another student stood and said that King had sold out to the White establishment. Before long, there was an active, heated debate—shouting and pointed fingers.  I remember thinking, ‘A young man—a father, a husband, a great leader—is dead.  Can’t we just honor him for a moment and fight this out later?’”

My year had gotten off to a very sad start when on February 2 my mother died suddenly.  My grief continued after King died.  On June 4, Robert F. Kennedy, younger brother of President John Kennedy, was assassinated and died two days later.  Instead of being able to nominate another Kennedy for president, Hubert Humphrey ran and lost the election to Richard M. Nixon after a tumultuous convention in Chicago.  Ronald Reagan was Governor of California at a time that the campus became a center for organizing and taking action for civil-rights marches and major anti-war protests.

We as a country have lost many great leaders, leaders who will stay alive through the contributions they have made to my life and those of others seeking peace, justice, and intelligence on who we can become when we take down the barriers to change.

“Writing to Be Heard” was posted on July 16, 2007, the first time I used my blog.  After writing hundreds of posts since then—especially this year—I decided to share my favorite posts of 2011 with you.

The posts below all have a story behind them, a reason to share the information, and a desire to help you on your career journey.  The posts could have been written to address an issue that came up during a coaching or consulting meeting, a topic that was discussed in a management class I teach at the Zicklin School of Business, an opportunity to expand horizons, etc.  The focus of each one is categorized by one or more of the tiles above the post which include Career, Coaching, College, Culture, Economy, Health, Leadership, Life Business, Management, Technology.

Below is a month-by-month list of posts that I hope you will find relevant, inspiring, and even fun.

January 17:  Are You Afraid of Feedback?  The topic emerged from two different threads.  The first was to offer guidance to decision-makers who were working with a very resistant executive.  The second was the loan of an academic colleague’s DVD on feedback.

February 21:  The Price of Ignoring Corporate Culture  As I told my students in an “Organizational Behavior” class, teaching corporate culture is my favorite unit to teach.  It is because of the environment executives create and how it impacts employee’s behavior.  In this particular case, the executive did not take into account his behavior in an established culture.

March 10:  Women’s Month 2011: Shake the World  To acknowledge the progress women make in a range of fields, I wrote about their accomplishments including that of Justine Siegal who had fulfilled her dream of throwing batting practice for the Cleveland Indians in spring training.

April 4:  Lasting Impressions  I am impressed by the number of people who even when we have not seen or spoken with one another for months or years, still remember me and the work I do.  The need to make a good first—and subsequent—impact on everyone you come in touch with is an important part of career development.

May 27:  Shakespeare in a Management Classroom  In April 2010, I attended a workshop on teaching Shakespeare in the workplace.  To my delight and my students’ reluctance, I developed a class session on emotional intelligence by having students get on a stage with a partner and recite excerpts from scenes in Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet, their favorite because they get to yell!

June 17:  Ten Guideposts on Your Reinvention Highway  Exploring a new career can be stressful and tiring.  Since I have reinvented myself a few times—I like to call it evolution—I share ideas on how to practice active patience to realize a new career.

July 7:  Holistic Professional Resume  In addition to teaching a business course, I also teach a program called “SuperCharge Your Career” at Zicklin.  What I don’t see on many resumes is Activities or another heading that can fill out the profile of a candidate and give an interviewer a sense of their lives outside the company.

August 30:  Career as a Farmer:  Sasha J. Farkas  Not everyone wants to work in an office in New York or any urban environment for that matter.  USA Today’s headline on December 26, 2011, “More Young People See Farming Opportunities,” confirmed that those in their 20’s and 30’s who have been downsized or unable to get a job, are seeking ways to survive on a farm.

September 13:  LockerDome:  The Facebook of Team Sports  Gabe Lozano, Co-Founder and CEO of a website for young athletes, read my post Women’s Month 2011: Shake the World and left a comment.  That comment led to a conversation, two interviews—his and Justine Siegal’s—and my own profile on LockerDome’s social media site.

October 29:  Disability:  A Second Career for L.I.R.R. Workers  Last year, I wrote about the ethical behavior of Long Island Railroad workers who claimed disability when they were obviously fine since they played golf sometimes daily.  Recently, I read that the cost of disbursing those on disability can be close to $1 billion.

November 12:  Walking Meetings  One of the many takeaways I had from reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was learning the pleasures of a walking meeting.  A friend gave me that opportunity and I’m very grateful for it.

December 24:  Dear Santa:  My Wish List  It had been ages since I wrote a “Dear Santa” letter so I put tongue in cheek and infused my humor into the serious requests I made for the greater good—and not just the sweater and earrings I hoped Santa would bring!

Thank you for your time to browse and read my posts.  Looking forward to writing more in 2012!

Very best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This week I’ve written posts about business gifts of music, books, plus power and influence.  Today, the ‘business’ gift of coaching is the focus, a practical and meaningful present to give yourself.  If you are interested in coaching with me, the first half-hour of coaching on the phone is complimentary!

“Coaching done well may be the most effective intervention designed for human performance,” Atul Gawande wrote in his article “Personal Best.  Top athletes and singers have coaches.  Should you?” that appeared in the “Annals of Medicine section of The New Yorker on October 3, 2011.  The bio on his website reads that “Gawande is a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is also Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.”  As the author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, a New York Times Bestseller, he shares the importance of following step-by-step procedures to be thorough, efficient, and effective in procedures and projects.

“No matter how well trained people are, few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in.”  Gawande writes that after eight years as a surgeon, his “performance in an operating room has reached a plateau.  I’d like to think that it’s a good thing—I’ve arrived at my professional peak.  But mainly it seems as if I’ve just stopped getting better.”

My experience coaching executives, leaders on their way to the executive suite, managers seeking ways to be more productive and profitable, recent M.B.A.s and other graduate students starting out in their career fields, and those looking to enhance their career potential has helped my clients to ‘get better.’  Getting better is a process that makes the client vulnerable and my warning to potential clients is that they will need to “move out of your comfort zone.”

Many corporate employees I know who need coaching refuse to get it.  Executives especially are stubborn to the point that they put the blame on others for a failed initiative and do not clearly see how they are holding back the progress of their small companies or large divisions.  They resist change in order to maintain their image and/or ego and do not take into account the greater good.

In case you are wondering, I follow my own advice.  That is, I have signed up to resume coaching with an excellent coach I worked with previously.  In January, I will undertake a major project and know that my investment in having someone to listen carefully to what I say—and not say— then ask appropriate questions can lead to specific appropriate actions and the realization of my goals.

If you are not interested in my coaching services, you should be wary of other coaches who do not have the specific experience you seek or lead you in the wrong direction.  For instance, when I had a small project, I called a coach who was offering a free session.  When I told her about my interest in starting a career coaching group, she told me that when I started marketing the program I had to offer a guarantee that each person would get a job.  That was not a wise coach who thought strategically since no one could guarantee a job for someone else.  I didn’t follow her advice since I wanted clients who would trust me and could be guaranteed that I would be honest about the career coaching I offered.

 To help you get an idea of what working with a coach is like, you might want to sign up for “Leigh’s Leader Offer” (on the right of this page).  If you are already interested, below is a general overview of my coaching process and session development:

-       Initial Conversation: Each potential client has a half-hour telephone conversation with me to articulate reasons for seeking a coach and identify outcomes from the coaching process.

-       Good Fit Decision: The client and I decide if there is a ‘good fit’ for both ‘coachee’ and coach in order for the coaching process to be successful.  Fees are discussed with the potential client.  Being comfortable talking about what investments in career development are worth is part of the coaching process.

-       Assessments: Client completes appropriate formal self-assessments such as the “Coaching Report for Leaders” or informal assessments such as writing a “Life Story.”

-       Session Focus Form (Optional but suggested): Client writes up their progress in specific areas; this document then becomes the agenda for a coaching session and a way to track progress toward a client’s goals.

-       90-Day Goals: Client sets reasonable expectations for achieving three goals within a 90-day period.

-       Conversation: Client and coach engage in honest interactions during which client is invited to express deep-seeded ideas or wishes. I listen carefully to what is said and not said in order to discern and offer effective strategies for client success.

-       Action steps: Client and coach agree on a series of specific ways to help client get ‘unstuck’ and on track to realize goals.

-       6-Month Planning Guide: Client identifies specific projects and places them on a calendar for completion.

-       In-Between Sessions: Client and coach discuss ideas to help the client build on the insights gained in a coaching session and/or engage in new behaviors to avoid missed opportunities.

Signing up for coaching isn’t major surgery.  All you have to do is e-mail me at Leigh@ltr-nyc.com and we can set up your half-hour complimentary telephone coaching session.

“The Impact of Technology on Workplace 2020” is the topic of the final written assignment this semester for my undergraduate management students.  They are to answer the following questions in their paper:  What job you will be doing? What technology will you will using? Why will you be using that technology? Where you will be using it (be specific)? How will technology impact your personal life?

Since generally there are millenials in my classes who feel that ‘older’ people cannot learn new technology, I decided to post a request to the members of my high school alumni group on Facebook to let me know their thoughts on technology.

Baby boomers have adapted well during the technology revolution, many starting early like I did in 1982.  That’s when I sent my first e-mail on a product known as Comet while working at Computer Corporation of America and liked the communication program that I went on to train personnel and departments at Wall Street firms.  In addition to the technology my classmates liked, however, I also want to learn what my classmates thought would be the technology eight years from now.

Following are sample results from my informal survey.  You are invited to contribute your responses by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

Question #1 and Responses

What is one piece of technology which you find has helped you the most at work or at home?

Most people thought it was most helpful to have a personal computer and others weighed in on specific items such as a high-speed router, wi-fi enabled network at home, and a drop box (free online storage in a cloud).  One person responded on the larger impact of technology:  power tools at work and a microwave oven at home (imagine living without a microwave!).

Question #2 and Responses

What is one piece of technology that you feel will be enhanced or developed by 2020?

In forecasting the future, some people focused on the evolution and enhancement of the cell phone, iPhone, and iPad.  Others offered specific wishes:  enable home and office operated voice recognition; NFC (Near Filed Communication:  wireless connections to devices in proximity); more efficient transportation and more enhanced communication devices.

My vision of technology in 2020?  I want to be alive and well enough to see what develops!

Marco and Margherita Marazzi

My college students are wonderful people with great potential in their fields.  One of those wonderful students is Marco Marazzi, a native of Italy, whom I met when he attended my fall 2010 Organizational Behavior management class at the Zicklin School of Business within Baruch College, one of the nation’s most diverse campuses.

Marco made an appointment with me a few weeks ago to talk about an internship he wanted to find in the field of coaching.  In turn, I asked him if he would write a blog on his experiences going to college in the United States and how it was different from attending college in his native country.  Below is a post written by Marco and his wife Margherita, framed after one of Marco’s passions:  a soccer game!
- – - – -

Last week I found myself involved in a really interesting conversation with my wife about the main differences between Italian and American college experiences.
Let’s resume it!

When I first arrived in the US and I started college I was afraid; the main problem that I had to face was the language. I was scared I would not be able to express myself in a proper way and I dreamed that classmates and professors were laughing at me. That is what a foreign student would expect in an Italian college.

What a surprise! The American university is literally a melting pot. Since I could find people from all over the world with my same problem of integration, the environment that I found is very understandable and helpful. I learned very quickly how to deal with people with different backgrounds and cultures by sharing ideas and thoughts, and arguing on different positions. I did not have this chance in Italy for sure since it is really not easy find foreign students there. I shared different opinions with my classmates, but we shared our common same culture and origins, so it was hard for me to open my mind completely. I feel college life in US helped me to open my mind and better understand different cultures.
Goaaaalll!  America 1 Italy 0

Another highlight of American colleges is that most of the professors are very motivated and alla mano we would say in Italy (easy going, open minded). They are pretty much always there if you need help, and willing to communicate and share ideas with students. They also seem passionate and ready to share their knowledge, helping students to reach their goals through studying and learning.

On the other side, in Italy it seems that meritocracy is no longer a value. A lot of the professors, not all fortunately, view their job like a “powerful” position and they make you feel that their knowledge is something that you probably will never gain. When they share thoughts to you, it looks like they are doing you a favor. During my college path in Italy, I meet few helpful and open minded professors unfortunately.
America 2 Italy 0

Is the Italian College experience so bad? Lucky us, no, it is not.  What I had back from those years is an incomparable cultural and knowledge background.

The undergraduate course of study is to focus only on the major you choose. You learn the basic “Core Curriculum” classes during high school. For example, my wife is a clinical psychologist and during her undergraduate degree in Italy, she spent the first two years studying anatomy, neuroscience, research methods—subjects related to her major. There is specific preparation of all the topics that you cover during the path to graduation. Moreover, there are no midterms, assignments, extra credits, etc. For each class you need to study by yourself (sometimes reading 6-7 books) in order to be ready at the end of the semester for both a written and an oral exam. It is a really strict method that helps students to gain a deep knowledge. Indeed, when she came to the US and started her master’s degree, she found herself much more prepared than her American classmates that had just finished their undergraduate degrees.
America 2 Italy 1

However, it seems to both of us that American colleges—for both graduate and undergraduate studies—are hundreds of steps ahead in providing experiences about the field. The different methods of education and the interactions with professors and college organizations, gives the opportunity for students to be really prepared to jump into the work world. As a management major during the last year, I had to create a business plan, study business cases, understand balance sheets of different companies, etc. Likewise, my wife as a clinical psychologist had to participate in conferences, administer tests, interview subjects for research studies, etc. We did not feel we were students doing their homework; instead, we were engaged in a real (even if small) experience with professionals and official data which made us feel part of the companies or agencies that we had to study. The chance to be part of the field during the college years gave us a deeper understanding of all the lessons that we listen to and the books we read.
America 3 Italy 1

As any person who discovers the reality of living in another country, I may be a little impartial as a referee that evaluates this “match.” However, to be fare, I would need an American student to referee the same match after experiencing an Italian college, focusing not only on University aspects, but also by considering food, landscapes, beauty, and quality of life!!

Prof. Henderson:  We hope you find that American student so we can have a balanced game!  Sincerely, Marco and Margherita

It is with pleasure that I once again step away from writing a post and instead offer the platform to my colleague Prof. Prakash Rao who can offer his expertise (a previous post is Prakash on Project Management).  Today’s post on career advancement is taken with his permission from his blog about workphilosophy “Work Life Balance:  Thoughts on Matters related to achieving Success in the Work Place.”

Your Career

In 2008, Prof. Prakash Rao was invited by Prof. Murrae Bowden, Director of the EMTM/EMBA Program at Stevens Institute of Technology, to address the Program Alumni.  Below is his talk on a topic that “is relevant in most economic cycles, more so now that change in the status of your career may be forced on you.”

Introduction:

My intent for this session is to provide some perspectives on making changes to help advance your careers. I am hopeful that it will help stimulate a discussion on various approaches and alternatives, some of which you could act on in the short term, in order to effect the change you desire.

Over the last 27 years and some, my career has taken major detours, some intentional, and a few because I did not know how to say “No”. During this tenure as a management and technology consultant I have served clients in 7 countries across 3 continents, in roles as varied as a software developer, to running a small consulting business, and leading the launch of new products and services. Looking back, I am humbled by the thought that I could contribute to various initiatives well outside my academic background and comfort zone.

I still feel the thrill of my first successes in entirely new roles.

Each experience was built upon core competences that I acquired in the preceding years; every role had some stretch goals for me. There were times when I wondered if I made a mistake by taking on more than I could chew. In most cases the end results were favorable.

Key Lessons from unfavorable outcomes: Ask for Help Early-on, Engage in Open and Transparent Communication, Confirm Expectations and Consequences.

Motivation for Change and Intended Outcomes:

Short Term Career Goals breed Short Term Behaviors. Results may not be durable unless you have the wherewithal to change directions quickly.

It is critical to assess the motivation for making the change. It is more likely to be on track, if it is goal oriented (proactively looking ahead), instead of merely as a reaction to a current bad situation. Intense gut feeling of “fight or flight” are indications of major inflection points in one’s career.

While desires to make changes after unfavorable Performance Assessments are common, those influenced by self evaluation and awareness are enduring.

Your approach to effecting the changes are dependent on the outcomes you intend to achieve. Some of the intended outcomes could be:

1. Achieving a Higher Level of Proficiency
2. Increasing your Level of Responsibility
3. Improving your Total Compensation
4. Improving your Peer Ranking
5. Bagging a significant Role in Leading Edge Innovation
6. Achieving Industry Recognition*
7. Improving the Quality of your Life

Options for Change:

Opportunities pop up from the unlikeliest of places when the intent to change is in your stream of consciousness.

“Conventional” Choices –

1. Choose to stay within the company and move to positions of higher responsibility, either within the discipline or to different areas of the business
2. Change companies but remain in the same/similar field/discipline where again one would have the possibility of broadening one’s scope/responsibility, or
3. Make a complete change to a different field/discipline which could be complementary to one’s earlier training.

“UnConventional” Choices -

Become your own boss. Entrepreneurial endeavors could be as simple as operating as a freelance / independent consultant or as involved as starting a new business venture.

The option you choose is influenced by personal circumstances, risk taking ability and market conditions for your skills in your (target) industry.

Strategies to Effect Change:

Do not second guess your decision once you take off. Adapt. Give it a fair chance to play out.

1. Start by Assessing your core competencies. It may not be as obvious at first blush. Assess it in the context of your roles and contributions to your project teams. A good gut check is when you observe that what comes to you easily is complementary to a team’s success, and sometimes, not even apparent to other members of the team. Also, no one else can or wants to do what you enjoy doing and that contributes to the overall goals.
2. Declare your intentions and goals. Become available for broader, if not higher levels of responsibilities or tougher assignments. Demonstrate Thought Leadership: internal engagement with enthusiasm and stamina, publish articles and unique insights, take initiative to implement new ways of meeting corporate goals. Such declarations do not have to be in the organizational context alone. A discussion with your strong and close-knit network of friends outside work can help reinforce and clarify your intent. Opportunities pop up from the most un-likeliest of sources when your intent to change is within your stream of consciousness. A small ad in ComputerWorld led me to what turned out to be a fantastic life altering opportunity in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
3. Be prepared to operate outside your comfort zone. Be open to global opportunities or international assignments. Explore other industries where your core competencies are applicable. You will be surprised at your own abilities when you solve problems in an entirely new context. As a result, your confidence will soar and you will discover new horizons. I happened to find myself in a start-up situation; it was sold to me as a mature organization. Faced with a “Fight or Flight” situation, the thrill of winning major fixed priced projects kept me going. That role required me to develop and negotiate contracts, develop strong estimation models so that we could protect our margins on fixed priced projects, mobilize core resources, including hiring key managers, procure and install infrastructure, streamline communications with my offshore counterparts and ensure a thriving sales pipeline. I found myself in a decision making role; every positive outcome reinforced my confidence that I could compete with the best and win. This experience opened up opportunities for me at IBM and Accenture, the likes of whom I had competed on some of these same projects.
4. Seek out your advocate(s) and mentors. They are usually strong influencers, or are in decision making roles. Most people in such positions like to be asked for guidance. It may require you to shed some of your ego at times, develop favorable perceptions about yourself, and perhaps patiently navigate some corporate politics. Be aware that you are developing your resume and credibility with every interaction. Project your core competencies and traits that will help you move towards your intended goals. Over the years, we acquire a variety of skills and expertise. It will become increasingly important to focus on and project 3 or 4 core competencies which you intend to pursue.
5. Expand your horizon; hone your skills and inspire yourself through ongoing investments in training and education. These are also good opportunities to network and stay informed in your area of competence.

Conclusion:

How does one define success? You define your own assessment of success as you reach various milestones in your career. At different times, the meaning of the term may change. Moreover, the time horizon for success, and the milestones along the way may alter the original goals.

Today’s work place is best approached as a place where you would contribute, advise, lead or otherwise perform your routine activities, in the mindset of a “consultant”, and where your stakeholders are your clients.

Your professional relationship with your co-workers and your clients is therefore about balancing the daily equation of inputs and outputs. What do you bring to the table? It is about a Return on Investment (ROI) for both parties involved in such a “trade”. At a personal level, every individual has to incorporate the necessary and appropriate measures of Learning, Contribution and Stretch Goals, in order to achieve optimum Team Performance and meet the team objectives effectively. There can be no meaningful progress without Stretch Goals. Your skills and contribution must complement those of others in the team.

Recognize that Boom and Bust cycles are realities of the work place. Enjoy and Celebrate boom cycles. Count your blessings and Persevere in every cycle.

Finally, Success is the resulting Sum Total of Attitude, Effort, Preparation, Aptitude and Outcomes Realized.

“No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or get rich in business by being a conformist”. —J. Paul Getty on Innovation

Good Luck!

President Mitchel B. Wallerstein

Where do you want to invest in a college education?  Baruch College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), has recently earned acknowledgements in publications that will lead you to understand the value that the institution can provide you.  And since I teach at the Zicklin School of Business within Baruch, I can personally attest to the quality of the programs, instructors, and staff.

President Mitchel B. Wallerstein recently announced that Zicklin was ranked among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” by Forbes magazine.  At 50 on the national list, Zicklin is higher than some nationally recognized programs such as Boston College, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Arizona State University.  Forbes ranks the M.B.A. programs on a very important value:  the return on investment achieved by the graduates.  In the case of Baruch’s ranking, it was based on the class of 2006.

Another announcement by the college President stated that for the fourth consecutive year, Baruch College has been named “one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education” by The Princeton Review.  Baruch will be featured in the 2012 edition of The Best 376 Colleges.  Wallerstein stated that, “Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the book, which is The Princeton Review’s flagship college guide, based on surveys of students attending the colleges.”

This past March, Zicklin was also rated by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 MBA program for financial value at graduation.  According to Wallerstein, “This parallels the findings of a noteworthy recent report by The Education Trust that identified Baruch as one of only five schools, of the nearly 1,200 four-year colleges and universities nation-wide that were surveyed, which is fully successful in serving the needs of low income students—and of the five institutions named, Baruch has the highest graduation rate (60.3%) and the highest Pell enrollment (44%)!”

What do you think now?  I suggest that when working to be a leader, you consider Baruch College.  It’s a good investment.

Organizational Behavior Fall 2010 on Stage

Dear Corporate America:

I need your help.  Okay, I can wait until you come back from the trip you’re taking in your personal jet.  I know this is a last minute request since my class starts tomorrow. But I need to know what you need from the younger workers you’re hiring, you know, the ones who are getting the jobs that you won’t give to anyone over 50 or sometimes even 40.  The average age of college students in my evening classes is 25-years-old so I know you are interested in the talent (and lower pay than an older worker) they represent.

My efforts to expose the juniors and seniors in my classes include inviting my executive coaching clients and professional colleagues to present in “A Management Approach to Organizational Behavior (AMAOB, EDU),” a class I teach in the Management Department at the Zicklin School of Business.  A few of my students have been hired into a presenter’s company because of their personality, work ethic, strong record of academic and student involvement, working their way through school, etc.

But I still need your help, Corporate (okay if I call you that?  After all, we are in America even though your bank accounts and tax accountants might be in other countries).  I want you to give me the specifics on how I can better prepare the students in my fall class to be hired by your firm.  Trust me, I’ll do my best.  My educational expertise was acknowledged during Baruch College’s Commencement exercises on June 1, 2011, when I received the Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching.  Cool, huh?

The baseline is that I know what I can do in a classroom but I also know that I can learn from you.  Below is an overview of what I plan on doing this semester.  If you have any suggestions on what I can do better—or if you want to come speak for my class—please leave a comment where I can reach you at the end of this post.  I know the students would welcome your suggestions and/or presence in class.

Speaking about my class, did I mention that Baruch is one of the most diverse campuses in America?  According to the Fall 2010 Fact Sheet, campus ethnicity was: American Indian or Native .2%, Asian or Pacific Islander 36.6%, Black, Non-Hispanic 11.2%, Hispanic, Other 14.4%, White, Non-Hispanic 37.6%.  The number of those who were the first generation to attend college 40.0%; countries represented on campus was 166, and the languages spoken 133.  Isn’t that great?

Experiential Learning

During the next four months, my students will participate in a highly interactive atmosphere where they can gain and extend their knowledge on how to be an effective employee and manager.  My philosophical pedagogy is based around providing students with an experiential learning experience that ranges from completing written assignments to performing an excerpt from “Romeo and Juliet” on a theatrical stage.  There are Quizzes but instead of multiple choice questions, I ask them to respond to questions with short answers (these often take up one page because they are so conscientious—or afraid of not getting an A).

When in class, I refer to myself as the Chief Learning Officer at AMAOB, EDU (I have done a lot of corporate training so the title comes easily).  I do so because during each of the twenty-nine class sessions, students will be subjected to a wide-range of learning opportunities, opportunities in which they are challenged to take risks and move out of their comfort zones.  Being uncomfortable is a key component of my teaching; I want to help expand horizons and encourage students to be innovative in their classroom responses and brainstorming.

The basic departmental text is Organizational Behavior, 14^th Ed., by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge published by Prentice Hall.  That’s a start to the reading materials I require.  “Temping with Tycoons:  Lessons from My Leadership Reinvention,” is a special report I wrote about my experiences observing organizational behavior within a financial services company.  Articles from the Harvard Business Review such as “Leadership that Gets Results” and other publications are suggested for greater understanding of topics such as corporate culture, change, structure, and, of course, ethics.  Many students subscribe to Fortune Magazine and report on articles they found of interest.

Working for an A

One of the first questions many of my students ask is “How do I get an A in class?”  “You earn an A in class,” I say.  And mean it.

I’m not the toughest grader in the department.  Okay, I give a lot of As because students ‘get it’—it being that they will get a top grade if they fulfill the requirements.  I set out specific guidelines for students to follow and if they do, they get an A for the semester.  I am especially focused on students adhering to the requirements for four written assignments—three of which are research papers (I know that you, Corporate, like employees who know how to do research)—and prepare a detailed ‘checklist’ so that students understand the purpose of each paper.  Topics range from “My Organizational Behavior” to document and better understand their own experiences in the workplace; “The _________ in the Workplace” to educate themselves on a topic of interest such as the depressed employee or the older worker; “Women in Leadership” to acclimate the students to the changing demographics at the top; and “The Impact of Technology in Workplace 2020” to stretch their thinking about what the future holds for them in the workplace and their life.  Jump right in, Corporate, and give me any topics you suggest.

I also let students know how they cannot earn an A.  I tell them that, “You cannot earn an A if you do not come to class having read and are prepared to discuss the assigned reading, you include plagiarized material in your written assignment, and you put your head down during class so that you can text on your phone.  Being consistently late, putting appointments in your calendar when a student is presenting right in front of you, and demanding an A even if you never once included the assigned topic in your written assignment are other ways to not earn an A.”

Individual Assessments

How do you feel about assessments, Corporate?  I feel that it is important for students to find out their type, personality, emotional intelligence, etc.  Here are links to some of the assessments that I ask my students to take online that are free and pretty accurate based on student results.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator http://similarminds.com/jung.html
The Big 5 Personality Test http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
Emotional Intelligence Quiz http://www.haygroup.com/leadershipandtalentondemand/Demos/EI_Quiz.aspx
The Wonderlic Personnel Test www.walterfootball.com/draftwonderlic.php (don’t get too excited, Corporate since you can easily afford the best seats, the assessment is at a football website but it is not about football!).

Culture of the Classroom

Although I am preparing my students for your workplace setting, my class is not all ‘outside’ work.  Time in class is spent in pair and small group discussions.  Everyone is required to get to know everyone else in class by name.  Evening students don’t have a lot of time to network or attend clubs on campus.  However, they have made some good connections with classroom colleagues that started with learning each other’s name.

Corporate, I know that one’s presence in an interview, on the job, and in front of an audience while making a presentation is an important talent to develop.  That is why I urge my students to make the most of the opportunities to present a chapter overview, a summary of an article they read and found of interest, or to go on a stage in an auditorium of 300 seats to recite words they had never seen or heard previously.  Bet you didn’t see this one coming, did you, Corporate?  The “stage” experience breaks down a lot of barriers among the students and within themselves.

Once a semester, I request a performance stage from the Baruch Performing Arts Center and assign students to recite parts of scenes from “Romeo & Juliet” or “Hamlet.”  During the semester’s first class when I mention the “Shakespeare” session, I get push back, hard push back from people who say, “No way am I going on a stage.”  I say, “Yes you are.”  We go back and forth many times for weeks.  However, once it is time for the “Shakespeare” session and they have practiced with their stage partners, my students are ready to perform. 

The actors do a great job—such a great job that it is class-changing.  That is, the tone and demeanor of the students change after performing in front of one another.  One person said that after being on stage, he felt more confident to ask more questions in class and present in front of his classmates.  Laura Perez (AMAOB, EDU Sp11) wrote that, “Being able to demonstrate a range of emotions on stage helped me to understand the importance of having control over different situations.”  All my students ‘got it’.  Well, Djafar Sambou (AMAOB, EDU Sp11) really got into it:  “I tell you this—Denzel Washington doesn’t have anything on me.  After that much fun I had on stage, I have one thing to say—Hollywood, I’m coming.”

Call to Action

Now that you know where I teach, who I teach, how I teach, what I teach, when I teach, and why I teach the way I do, please let me know what you, Corporate, can do to support my goal of preparing students living in America who are working to be leaders find a job at your company.