"Offsite meeting."
For most business people, these words evoke the sensation of dozing off in a stuffy conference room far from home.
Last week, I attended a really good offsite. My leader brought our 70-member department together for 2 1/2 days, and it was energizing, thought-provoking, and fun. On the way home, I pondered how she pulled off this feat.
1. Location, location, location.
The worst place for an offsite: A conference room in your own building. Sure, it’s easy and inexpensive, but it’s also not off-site. Familiar surroundings promote everyday thinking. Offsites are designed to elevate the level of thinking, to accomplish things that are important and distinct from the day-to-day work.
Last week's offsite was held at Friendship Park in Cincinnati; we were in a beautiful, well-ventilated building with a glass wall that provided a view of the park. The occasional distractions of joggers and Segway tours were offset by the pretty scenery and the sense that we were in a space without boundaries.
The perfect location might be right under your nose. At a prior job, my manager held an offsite at her house. It was a lovely home, and it gave us a chance to connect with her and each other on a more personal level.
2. Don’t do anything for longer than an hour.
With the exception of Hollywood blockbusters, there aren’t many things people will enjoy sitting and watching for more than one hour. If you have four hours worth of content to share, chunk it up. Have one speaker present for an hour, then give the group a break, then do an interactive and fun activity before bringing out the next speaker.
3. Be present, literally and mentally.
The Blackberry stays on the table.
My department is made up of busy people, and each of us had left our cell phone number on our voicemail message in case of a work emergency. The ground rules were laid out early: If your phone rings, you may step outside and take the call, but everything else can wait.
It makes a noticeable difference when you’re in a room full of people who are not multi-tasking. When the devices are set down, the emails are ignored, and we’re all focused on the conversation happening in the room right now, the time together is more productive and powerful.
4. Food matters.
I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m still waiting for a scientific study that shows the effects of conference food on attendees’ learning and participation. But here’s my hypothesis:
Two or three hours after eating, blood sugar drops and a person’s energy level plummets. The cliff is steeper if that last meal was heavy on the simple carbs. If you stuff people full of doughy sandwiches and cookies at noon, then take away all food until dinner, prepare for a pretty exhausted audience by about 3 p.m.
My ideal offsite would have a continuous supply of snacks, including protein-rich snacks like cheese, nuts, and yogurt. We had a 2 p.m. delivery of energy bars and trail mix. The only thing that might have been better: Bacon.
5. Structure the social.
One side benefit of an offsite is that teams who don’t regularly work together have a chance to build rapport. To maximize this, plan a group dinner or activities during the offsite that encourage socializing. Mix up the seating and group assignments to shake up comfortable cliques and make new connections easier to forge.
At my recent offsite, we had plenty of chances to connect: A scavenger hunt and small group brainstorming sessions with randomly assigned teams, and a group dinner where everybody had freedom to mingle.
6. Let things sink in.
On the third day of our offsite, after a morning full of presentations and lively discussion, everyone was exhausted. When we wrapped up, my coworkers and I headed to the airport – where we all agreed it was OK to not talk to one another for awhile.
Introverts need time alone to recharge. Everyone benefits from some quiet space to process the new ideas that have been stirred up, to pick up loose threads of thought and follow them to interesting places.
The best way to conclude an offsite is with a little quiet space. End early. Send people home for the afternoon, or encourage them to take some hours off on the following day. Jumping right back into workday stress (compounded by a few days out of the office, yikes) is a sure way to wipe out the fresh ideas that you invested so much time and effort in cultivating.
What do you think of offsite meetings? What are some of the best and worst things that you’ve experienced?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
8 Ways to Rock a Conference Call
I spend a lot of time on the phone. Talking to people is a big part of my job, and most of the people I need to talk to aren't in the same building or even the same city. I've been on awesome conference calls, I've been on unfortunate conference calls, and I've facilitated my share of both.
I've compiled these tips based on some of the best calls I've observed, the ones where I hang up the phone and think "Wow, we got a lot done!" or "I can't wait to get working on this project!"
Here are 5 tips for facilitators, and 3 for attendees. I'd also love to hear your tips.
1. Send a detailed meeting invitation. In the meeting description, let your invitees know what the meeting is about, why you invited them, and what action you expect from them both before and during the meeting. Include your conference call number, link to the Sametime meeting (if applicable), and attachments or links to any documents you'd like your participants to review. If you need to add details later, open the invite on your calendar and save the updates directly into the meeting invitation. Nobody enjoys starting a meeting by scrambling through a cluttered Inbox trying to find all the details.
2. Get to know your conference line. I recently learned that, on my company's conferencing system, you can press *5 to mute all lines except your own. This is perfect if you're experiencing background noise, or if one of your attendees is eating a crunchy sandwich or puts you on hold. Just be sure to tell your participants to press *6 to un-mute if they'd like to ask a question or make a comment.
Our system has a default setting in which a robotic voice instructs callers: "Please state your name, then press the pound key." One day, I called into my own conference line and didn't press 1 to begin my meeting. I stayed on the phone with the friendly robot to listen to what other options she had for me. It turned out, this feature could be turned off. I like to think that anyone who dials into one of my conference calls is getting precious seconds of his or her life back.
3. Boost interactivity with online meetings. I recently attended a meeting where the presenter used the Sametime Whiteboard to brainstorm ideas with 30 people. It was great: Everyone got a chance to be heard, nobody talked over one another, and lots of great ideas were captured. Other fun tools include screen sharing, live polls, and group chat. Group chat and hand-raising are handy ways for large audiences to ask questions without interrupting the speaker.
4. Mind the time. If your meeting's agenda is packed with multiple topics or speakers, allocate a time for each, and clearly communicate it to all presenters well in advance. Build in some buffer time and schedule Q&A at the end of your call, so that none of your speakers feel rushed.
Do you or your presenters tend to ramble? (I do!) Have a designated timekeeper on your call watch the clock and send speakers an instant message with 5-minute and 2-minute warnings when it's time to wrap up. If there's just NO way you can fairly cover a topic in 15 minutes, give it the time it deserves and set up a dedicated call.
Ending on time is a basic courtesy, but to rock your call, end 5 minutes early, The best gift that you can give to a coworker who's been on back-to-back conference calls all day is a sweet little 5-minute respite to stretch, get something to drink, or use the restroom before the next meeting.
5. Don't read your slides. Think of your PowerPoint deck as a complement to your presentation, not as the presentation itself. If you're using your slides to anchor key points of your presentation, be brief (7-10 words per key point, up to 3 key points per slide). If you're including the slides as reference material, you can be more verbose, but resist the urge to read the slides aloud to your audience. Your spoken commentary should include examples, stories, and context for the points in your presentation.
6. Do your pre-work. Set aside some time at the beginning of the week and at the beginning of each day to look through your upcoming meetings. Is there any pre-work or reading required? Do you have a good understanding of what's expected of you and what each meeting will be about?
7. Know the difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak. I'm one of those extraverted people who's very excited to share my own ideas, so I've had to make a conscious effort to listen more closely. I take copious notes. Taking notes on others' comments helps me listen and absorb their ideas more effectively. Jotting down my own ideas helps me remember them and clear them out of my mind so I can give others my full attention.
8. Resist the multi-tasking urge. I can't tell you to stop multi-tasking altogether, but know that you can't rock a conference call unless you're truly present. Switch your instant message status so it automatically shows that you're in a meeting. If that doesn't work, change to "Do Not Disturb" or sign out altogether. I have found that signing out of email, while scary at first, is a good way to minimize distraction.
If I'm feeling incredibly restless, sometimes I'll pick up a physical task such as cleaning. My hands are occupied, but my ears and brain are on the conference call. I've been known to remove and clean under every key on my keyboard, just so I could keep my attention focused on a really important call (and because, frankly, it was kind of gross under there).
You're not going to rock every call. There will always be calls that are just plain old status updates, short and utilitarian run-downs of straightforward facts. But when it really counts, when you're making decisions or charting new courses or looking to WOW an audience, try some of these tricks and perhaps your call will be the one everyone remembers.
I've compiled these tips based on some of the best calls I've observed, the ones where I hang up the phone and think "Wow, we got a lot done!" or "I can't wait to get working on this project!"
Here are 5 tips for facilitators, and 3 for attendees. I'd also love to hear your tips.
If you're leading the call...
1. Send a detailed meeting invitation. In the meeting description, let your invitees know what the meeting is about, why you invited them, and what action you expect from them both before and during the meeting. Include your conference call number, link to the Sametime meeting (if applicable), and attachments or links to any documents you'd like your participants to review. If you need to add details later, open the invite on your calendar and save the updates directly into the meeting invitation. Nobody enjoys starting a meeting by scrambling through a cluttered Inbox trying to find all the details.
2. Get to know your conference line. I recently learned that, on my company's conferencing system, you can press *5 to mute all lines except your own. This is perfect if you're experiencing background noise, or if one of your attendees is eating a crunchy sandwich or puts you on hold. Just be sure to tell your participants to press *6 to un-mute if they'd like to ask a question or make a comment.
Our system has a default setting in which a robotic voice instructs callers: "Please state your name, then press the pound key." One day, I called into my own conference line and didn't press 1 to begin my meeting. I stayed on the phone with the friendly robot to listen to what other options she had for me. It turned out, this feature could be turned off. I like to think that anyone who dials into one of my conference calls is getting precious seconds of his or her life back.
3. Boost interactivity with online meetings. I recently attended a meeting where the presenter used the Sametime Whiteboard to brainstorm ideas with 30 people. It was great: Everyone got a chance to be heard, nobody talked over one another, and lots of great ideas were captured. Other fun tools include screen sharing, live polls, and group chat. Group chat and hand-raising are handy ways for large audiences to ask questions without interrupting the speaker.
4. Mind the time. If your meeting's agenda is packed with multiple topics or speakers, allocate a time for each, and clearly communicate it to all presenters well in advance. Build in some buffer time and schedule Q&A at the end of your call, so that none of your speakers feel rushed.
Do you or your presenters tend to ramble? (I do!) Have a designated timekeeper on your call watch the clock and send speakers an instant message with 5-minute and 2-minute warnings when it's time to wrap up. If there's just NO way you can fairly cover a topic in 15 minutes, give it the time it deserves and set up a dedicated call.
Ending on time is a basic courtesy, but to rock your call, end 5 minutes early, The best gift that you can give to a coworker who's been on back-to-back conference calls all day is a sweet little 5-minute respite to stretch, get something to drink, or use the restroom before the next meeting.
5. Don't read your slides. Think of your PowerPoint deck as a complement to your presentation, not as the presentation itself. If you're using your slides to anchor key points of your presentation, be brief (7-10 words per key point, up to 3 key points per slide). If you're including the slides as reference material, you can be more verbose, but resist the urge to read the slides aloud to your audience. Your spoken commentary should include examples, stories, and context for the points in your presentation.
If you're a participant...
6. Do your pre-work. Set aside some time at the beginning of the week and at the beginning of each day to look through your upcoming meetings. Is there any pre-work or reading required? Do you have a good understanding of what's expected of you and what each meeting will be about?
7. Know the difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak. I'm one of those extraverted people who's very excited to share my own ideas, so I've had to make a conscious effort to listen more closely. I take copious notes. Taking notes on others' comments helps me listen and absorb their ideas more effectively. Jotting down my own ideas helps me remember them and clear them out of my mind so I can give others my full attention.
8. Resist the multi-tasking urge. I can't tell you to stop multi-tasking altogether, but know that you can't rock a conference call unless you're truly present. Switch your instant message status so it automatically shows that you're in a meeting. If that doesn't work, change to "Do Not Disturb" or sign out altogether. I have found that signing out of email, while scary at first, is a good way to minimize distraction.
If I'm feeling incredibly restless, sometimes I'll pick up a physical task such as cleaning. My hands are occupied, but my ears and brain are on the conference call. I've been known to remove and clean under every key on my keyboard, just so I could keep my attention focused on a really important call (and because, frankly, it was kind of gross under there).
You're not going to rock every call. There will always be calls that are just plain old status updates, short and utilitarian run-downs of straightforward facts. But when it really counts, when you're making decisions or charting new courses or looking to WOW an audience, try some of these tricks and perhaps your call will be the one everyone remembers.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Never Microwave Fish in the Break Room (and other career advice)
1. If the question begins with "Can you?" the answer is almost always "Yes."
At a few pivotal points in my career, my managers asked me questions beginning with "Can you..." and ending with something that I'd never done before. "Can you write a business case?" "Can you lead a WebEx meeting?" "Can you prepare a SWOT analysis?" I said Yes each time, knowing that between the company's resources, Google, and Amazon.com, I could find the information I needed to learn those skills and complete the task at hand.
Through this approach, I've discovered my own talents and interests, as when my spontaneous offer to teach a class about payroll taxes led me toward a rewarding 3-year stint as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. In other cases, I've bumped against my limits - A painful sojourn with Microsoft Access taught me to cross "data analyst" off my list of prospective career paths.
I'm not saying you should be dishonest or oversell your experience, but most of us undersell our capabilities because we're waiting for someone to give us training or permission to acquire a new skill. Have courage in your own resourcefulness and take a request to do something new as an invitation to learn.
2. Sometimes you have to butter your toast with a screwdriver.
Have you ever been asked to do something using entirely the wrong tool? It's hard and it's awkward and tempting to just bail on the whole project or wait for the technology to be perfect before moving forward. That was how it felt 3 years ago, when employee social networking was new at the bank. We had a clunky old tool in which discussion forums required multiple clicks into folders and nobody had a profile photo. Because the outcome (connecting employees to each other online) was worthwhile, the core team of believers channeled our inner McGyvers and made it work, moving the project forward.
You won't always have the right tool to easily accomplish your goals, but if your goals are worth fighting for, you can still make progress through creativity and persistence. Butter your toast with a screwdriver. When you have the option, ask politely for a butter knife.
3. Never microwave fish in the break room.
Remember that you don't work alone. No matter where you sit, no matter what you do, the actions that you take have an impact on other people.
Also, fish smells gross.
4. I'm rubber, you're glue.
Remember the old playground taunt, "Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you?" There's a grain of truth here that can serve you well in your career.
The things you say about other people reflect on your own brand. If you describe every coworker as stubborn, or difficult to work with, or other less tactful terms, those words are actually shaping people's perception of you. This is why you so often see authors giving glowing testimonials on one another's book jackets: If I describe someone else's work as innovative or captivating, then people will associate those words with me.
There's a mistaken perception that you have to cut down others to get ahead or promote your own brand - This approach can only take you so far, before everyone around you catches on that the common theme in all of your toxic work relationships is you.
5. Whether you choose to find fault or you choose to find possibility, you'll have no trouble finding it.
The simplest but most important lesson that I've learned in my career is that my attitude is my choice. I choose to believe in my strengths and those of the people with whom I'm privileged to work. I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt and take an optimistic approach to my life and work.
It's very easy to find faults in any complex system: A company, a family, a society. Focusing on the faults reveals more faults, and it quickly becomes a reinforcing loop. Taking an appreciative approach, and focusing on the strengths and gifts and possibilities in the workplace, is a much more rewarding and enjoyable way to spend one's career.
Also, salads make great lunches.
At a few pivotal points in my career, my managers asked me questions beginning with "Can you..." and ending with something that I'd never done before. "Can you write a business case?" "Can you lead a WebEx meeting?" "Can you prepare a SWOT analysis?" I said Yes each time, knowing that between the company's resources, Google, and Amazon.com, I could find the information I needed to learn those skills and complete the task at hand.
Through this approach, I've discovered my own talents and interests, as when my spontaneous offer to teach a class about payroll taxes led me toward a rewarding 3-year stint as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. In other cases, I've bumped against my limits - A painful sojourn with Microsoft Access taught me to cross "data analyst" off my list of prospective career paths.
I'm not saying you should be dishonest or oversell your experience, but most of us undersell our capabilities because we're waiting for someone to give us training or permission to acquire a new skill. Have courage in your own resourcefulness and take a request to do something new as an invitation to learn.
2. Sometimes you have to butter your toast with a screwdriver.
Have you ever been asked to do something using entirely the wrong tool? It's hard and it's awkward and tempting to just bail on the whole project or wait for the technology to be perfect before moving forward. That was how it felt 3 years ago, when employee social networking was new at the bank. We had a clunky old tool in which discussion forums required multiple clicks into folders and nobody had a profile photo. Because the outcome (connecting employees to each other online) was worthwhile, the core team of believers channeled our inner McGyvers and made it work, moving the project forward.
You won't always have the right tool to easily accomplish your goals, but if your goals are worth fighting for, you can still make progress through creativity and persistence. Butter your toast with a screwdriver. When you have the option, ask politely for a butter knife.
3. Never microwave fish in the break room.
Remember that you don't work alone. No matter where you sit, no matter what you do, the actions that you take have an impact on other people.
Also, fish smells gross.
4. I'm rubber, you're glue.
Remember the old playground taunt, "Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you?" There's a grain of truth here that can serve you well in your career.
The things you say about other people reflect on your own brand. If you describe every coworker as stubborn, or difficult to work with, or other less tactful terms, those words are actually shaping people's perception of you. This is why you so often see authors giving glowing testimonials on one another's book jackets: If I describe someone else's work as innovative or captivating, then people will associate those words with me.
There's a mistaken perception that you have to cut down others to get ahead or promote your own brand - This approach can only take you so far, before everyone around you catches on that the common theme in all of your toxic work relationships is you.
5. Whether you choose to find fault or you choose to find possibility, you'll have no trouble finding it.
The simplest but most important lesson that I've learned in my career is that my attitude is my choice. I choose to believe in my strengths and those of the people with whom I'm privileged to work. I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt and take an optimistic approach to my life and work.
It's very easy to find faults in any complex system: A company, a family, a society. Focusing on the faults reveals more faults, and it quickly becomes a reinforcing loop. Taking an appreciative approach, and focusing on the strengths and gifts and possibilities in the workplace, is a much more rewarding and enjoyable way to spend one's career.
Also, salads make great lunches.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Work-Life Balance
As I'm typing this, I am hoping against hope that a certain sleepy toddler doesn't wake up. My 20-month-old son Felix woke up this morning with the telltale runny nose and eye gunk that said "Change your plans, Mom." I got him dressed in hopes that he'd perk up and we could send him off to daycare - but when I felt his forehead, I knew that all bets were off. And so I'm home, in my living room, listening to the quiet house and sitting in silent awe of my own life and the delicate thing that we call "work-life balance."
I used to hate the phrase "work-life balance," and I insist it's a false dichotomy. Work is very much a part of my life, and my personal life informs and shapes my professional perspective.
But the more I think about it, especially now that I have two small human beings in my care, the more I understand that it is a balancing act as complex and awe-inspiring as anything you'll see in Cirque de Soleil.
I have a theory that I call "The Rule of 4." There are four great endeavors which can consume an adult's energy:
1.Working
2.Going to school
3.Caring for children
4.Maintaining a home life
Most emotionally healthy adults can reasonably expect to do exactly two of these things well at any given time. You can focus on three in short bursts - e.g., finishing up your degree while working and having kids, but only because you know that it's only one semester, you have a fridge full of Red Bull, and nobody minds that your house looks to be three days away from a Hoarders intervention. The Rule of 4 is also a great excuse to rationalize hiring a housekeeper.
My days are very full. My alarm goes off at 4:30, and I often wake up fairly certain that I forgot something. Is it pajama day at school? Are there field trip permission slips to turn in? Did I bring my laptop home last night? Do I have a meeting that requires me to dress more competently than usual?
When I was 25 and childless, I would never have believed that I'd wake up at such an unholy hour and maintain a cheerful attitude to boot.
And yet, somehow, it balances. Some days, I feel like I'm stacking plates while riding a unicycle, but I grab more of them: Swimming lessons? Why not! Piano? Sure! Of course I can fit in trips to the gym and make a digital scrapbook for my mother! Perhaps I'll take up yoga and Pinterest, too, while I'm at it.
I was marveling at this today, while I was dialed into a conference call with Felix's fever-warmed head resting on my lap, Yo Gabba Gabba! playing in the background. I muted the phone and said "I love you," and for the first time ever, Felix said "Love you" right back.
There is a formula for this, I realized, and it's both simpler and more complex than my Rule of 4. It's love. Love (and my alarm clock) draw me out of bed and give me the energy for the people in my life - those who are related to me, and those with whom I work. Love makes it a no-brainer that I had to stay home today, and it's there in the trust that I have with my manager and my team, knowing that the work I'm responsible for will get done, when it needs to get done. Love also gives me the courage to say hard things, like telling my 5-year-old "I can't play with you now, I'm working" and know that she'll forgive me because I will keep my promises and play with her later.
I won't pretend that I was as productive today as I would have been in the office. I'll probably be online for awhile tonight, and may have to scramble a bit to meet my to-dos for later in the week. But I'll approach that work with love, enthusiasm, and gratitude because it meant I got to be here today. And that, to me, is work-life balance.
I used to hate the phrase "work-life balance," and I insist it's a false dichotomy. Work is very much a part of my life, and my personal life informs and shapes my professional perspective.
But the more I think about it, especially now that I have two small human beings in my care, the more I understand that it is a balancing act as complex and awe-inspiring as anything you'll see in Cirque de Soleil.
I have a theory that I call "The Rule of 4." There are four great endeavors which can consume an adult's energy:
1.Working
2.Going to school
3.Caring for children
4.Maintaining a home life
Most emotionally healthy adults can reasonably expect to do exactly two of these things well at any given time. You can focus on three in short bursts - e.g., finishing up your degree while working and having kids, but only because you know that it's only one semester, you have a fridge full of Red Bull, and nobody minds that your house looks to be three days away from a Hoarders intervention. The Rule of 4 is also a great excuse to rationalize hiring a housekeeper.
My days are very full. My alarm goes off at 4:30, and I often wake up fairly certain that I forgot something. Is it pajama day at school? Are there field trip permission slips to turn in? Did I bring my laptop home last night? Do I have a meeting that requires me to dress more competently than usual?
When I was 25 and childless, I would never have believed that I'd wake up at such an unholy hour and maintain a cheerful attitude to boot.
And yet, somehow, it balances. Some days, I feel like I'm stacking plates while riding a unicycle, but I grab more of them: Swimming lessons? Why not! Piano? Sure! Of course I can fit in trips to the gym and make a digital scrapbook for my mother! Perhaps I'll take up yoga and Pinterest, too, while I'm at it.
I was marveling at this today, while I was dialed into a conference call with Felix's fever-warmed head resting on my lap, Yo Gabba Gabba! playing in the background. I muted the phone and said "I love you," and for the first time ever, Felix said "Love you" right back.
There is a formula for this, I realized, and it's both simpler and more complex than my Rule of 4. It's love. Love (and my alarm clock) draw me out of bed and give me the energy for the people in my life - those who are related to me, and those with whom I work. Love makes it a no-brainer that I had to stay home today, and it's there in the trust that I have with my manager and my team, knowing that the work I'm responsible for will get done, when it needs to get done. Love also gives me the courage to say hard things, like telling my 5-year-old "I can't play with you now, I'm working" and know that she'll forgive me because I will keep my promises and play with her later.
I won't pretend that I was as productive today as I would have been in the office. I'll probably be online for awhile tonight, and may have to scramble a bit to meet my to-dos for later in the week. But I'll approach that work with love, enthusiasm, and gratitude because it meant I got to be here today. And that, to me, is work-life balance.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Rhythm of Career Development
Last week, I had the exciting opportunity to be part of a panel on career development. Here are some of my speaker notes:
It's important not to confuse career development with career progression. Career progression is something that you can influence, but also depends on a multitude of factors. Career development, on the other hand, is within your control. You can tell your career is developing if you can look at the work you're doing today and say to yourself, "There's no way i could have done this a year ago." If you're smarter, braver, or more connected than you used to be, then you're moving forward, regardless of your job title.
I approach career development as a constant cycle of listening, learning, synthesizing, and sharing information. In this process, you're also building relationships around the knowledge you acquire and share.
Here's my ideal rhythm of career development activities:
Daily:
It's important not to confuse career development with career progression. Career progression is something that you can influence, but also depends on a multitude of factors. Career development, on the other hand, is within your control. You can tell your career is developing if you can look at the work you're doing today and say to yourself, "There's no way i could have done this a year ago." If you're smarter, braver, or more connected than you used to be, then you're moving forward, regardless of your job title.
I approach career development as a constant cycle of listening, learning, synthesizing, and sharing information. In this process, you're also building relationships around the knowledge you acquire and share.
Here's my ideal rhythm of career development activities:
Daily:
- Be in conversation with interesting people. Do this in person and online. Approach your interactions, inside and outside of work, with an open and curious mind.
- Say Yes often. You'll learn more, and people will like you more.
- Keep an ongoing list of things to check out when you have time: Book recommendations, websites, magazine articles that you hear about in passing.
Weekly:
- Make time to read. Go through the list of articles or books that you've been compiling. Spend a half hour reading a blog, news site, or forum that pertains to your area of interest and development. Scan the headlines and click into the articles that speak to you. In my line of work, I draw a lot of value from the corporate communications information on http://www.ragan.com/ and the technology news on http://www.mashable.com/.
- Share something. Whether it's on your work blog or Facebook or a friendly conversation with a coworker, pass along a bit of knowledge or insight that you've learned and think that someone else would appreciate knowing. As a bonus, you're building your brand as someone who is insightful and generous with your knowledge.
- Send recognition. Set a weekly calendar reminder (mine is on Friday mornings) and think through all the people you've worked with this week who might deserve thanks or recognition. My company has an online program that lets us send e-cards and buttons, but a simple e-mail or wall post will suffice. It takes a few minutes to send a nomination, but the positive impact can resonate for years.
Monthly:
- Dig a little deeper. Attend a webinar (there are many excellent free ones out there), download and read a white paper, or listen to a TED talk (http://www.ted.com/) or podcast. Take a community education seminar in your neighborhood. You can do this alone or enlist a teammate and enhance your learning by sharing and discussing it.
- Create something. Career development isn't just about soaking up knowledge - it's about synthesizing and sharing that knowledge for the benefit of others. For me, it's this blog. I'm not sure who will read this, but if someone draws value from any of these words or ideas, then I have created some good in the world, and that feels like career development to me.
- Make a difference for someone. Reach out and do some mentoring. If you think it's too early in your career to be a mentor at your company, volunteer with Junior Achievement or see if your college has an alumni/student mentoring program. Mentoring isn't the only way to make a difference. Sometimes it's taking an hour of your day to help somebody with a task that's nowhere near your job description.
Once or twice a year:
- Change your scenery. Bust out of your daily routine and go to a conference or seminar in a different city. While you're there, forget about the day-to-day and immerse yourself in the learning experience. Take copious notes and be prepared to present and/or blog about it when you return to work.
- Set a goal that scares you. Whether it's writing a book, running a marathon, or earning the job of your dreams - you don't have to tell anyone what it is - but keep it in your own mind, and think of what you could do today, next week, and next month that might help you get there.
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