What can Olympic athletes teach us about failure?

Picture this:

You have been training for 15 years of your life. You are on a training run, flying down the hill at 70 km per hour. Next thing you know, you catch an edge on your left ski, lose control, skid 100 metres, and slam into a safety net. As they say in life, you never know what a day will bring.

This is what Allison Forsyth's day looked like as she represented Canada in the downhill slalom. She couldn't get up from the ground. "It took me about 15 seconds to realize what had happened, and it was kind of a ‘see you in 2010’ moment for me", Forsyth said. "I am confident that I can come back and be strong in this sport in the future. The timing is unfortunate."

When I first read her quote, I was stunned. I reread the quote to make sure that I had understood it correctly. Now THAT is a high performance athlete. Some people would never recover mentally from something like that. Imagine you were one run away from your Olympic dream, in a heck of a lot of pain, and waiting to fly home to be operated on. It was obviously not the Olympic experience that Allison was anticipating. I was so impressed by her forward looking perspective - from disaster to moving forward in 15 seconds or less!

There are 3 key things we can learn from Allison:

1. We all catch edges in our careers - it’s not personal, it is part being a professional.

2. Take stock, deal with the reality of the situation, accept it, AND learn from it.

3. Start a new goal as soon as possible.

We have all had crash and burn experiences in our careers, but it's our response to these issues that is the key. Well done Allison - see you at the podium in 2010!

How do successful executives evolve?

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to climb the corporate ladder higher or faster than others? Aside from the inevitable political reasons, there is some interesting research that has been published recently in The Harvard Business Review. The research identifies four decision-making styles in business. It also identifies a clear shift in styles as you move from supervisor to a senior executive role.

The four styles:

1. Decisive Style: Little information and one course of action. It is related to task-oriented, direct, efficient, fast and firm managers.

2. Flexible: Little information but many options. This is about speed and adaptability - decisions can change with shifting situations.

3. Hierarchic: Lots of data, but one course of action. This is about being intellectual in nature. All decisions are final.

4. Integrative: Lots of data and lots of options. It involves creativity, inputs from many sources and multiple courses of action.

Researchers discovered that the most successful executives are more likely to have a “decisive” style early in their careers. They may evolve to a “hierarchic” style as they move up the career ladder, and, ultimately, they adapt their style to that of “flexible” and “integrative”. Those who didn’t evolve their styles were most likely to stall and not move into a senior executive role.

The question that I have for you is this - in what ways have you evolved your leadership style in the past 12 months? We often like to read about change, and talk about change, but to what extent are you changing?

To get some advice on how to begin the process of change, set up an appointment with us for an Initial Consultation (http://www.careerjoy.com/consultation/index.cfm). After all, how valuable is your future?

On that note, I wanted to let you know about an upcoming OCRI event. OCRI, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, is hosting an interactive workshop to help you maximize you career potential and plan your next step along your career track. The event is being held on February 24, 2006 at the Holiday Inn Select Hotel & Suites in Ottawa-West, Kanata. To register, please visit their website at http://www.ocri.ca/events/registration.html.

How To Be Prepared When Opportunity Knocks

This past week I listened to Charlie Rose interview Anthony Hopkins. If you have never watched Charlie Rose, I would strongly encourage you to do so (you will find him on the PBS network). In my humble opinion, he is the best at bringing out a person’s story.

I was fascinated to learn about Anthony Hopkins’ career journey. Did you know that he started his career on the stage, and then moved to film? Anthony discussed the key factor of his success as an actor - memorizing the script. He said it was only when he knew his lines, that he could fully enter into character.

The night before they started filming Nixon, Anthony Hopkins was nervous as “heck”. He wasn't sure if he "got" Nixon. However, he had spent months learning and refining the script. He said; “The moment Oliver Stone started to film, it all clicked.”

I see this with clients as soon as they find a script (message) that they think accurately reflects who they are and their story. The more comfortable you are with the message, the more you can enter into the conversation. Contrast that to a film with terrible acting - you can tell the actor is not in character and is not convincing. You might say the film deserves to go straight to DVD!

Someone like Anthony Hopkins will leave a legacy of work that is authentic and excellent – giving us stories in which we are able to enter into a different time and space. Find a way of expressing what you have done, what you bring, and what you have to offer. Understand the context of the company; learn as much as you can about their products, staff, and competitors. Know it cold, then relax and enjoy the show.

Are you having trouble finding your message? We can help. Visit us online at www.careerjoy.com for more information.

Your Comments on the Three Interview Keys

In last week's WORKout, I talked about the three keys to a successful interview - Confidence, Chemistry, and Content. Many of our readers shared with us how they have used these principles in their own lives. I would like to pass along three of those stories:

Remi shared his understanding of the importance of confidence :

"Before I go to an interview, I really pump myself up! I tell myself a lot of positive messages: 'I'm getting this job! I am going to this interview and be the only candidate they will ever want to consider! They will decide right there that I am the best candidate for the job! I am the best candidate in the world for the job!' This sounds a bit ridiculous, but it brings my level of adrenalin to an all-time high and makes me feel like I was when I was playing team sports and going to a tournament or a hockey game."

Amber shared the following:

"Halfway through my course, I was called in for a one-on-one interview with NBC's Page Program (a job I really, really wanted). Being polished and confident about who I was and what I wanted helped me to ace the interview and I was called back for the second and final interview some months later. This interview was different, however. This was a panel interview. Being new to the corporate world (I had graduated college only six months earlier), I had never been on a second interview or a part of a panel interview. Having prepared the same way I did for the first interview, I arrived and immediately became very nervous. Having to listen to five other college graduates, who were most definitely tops of their classes, answer the same questions as me over and over again, distracted me from my plan to impress. My confidence flew out of the window even though as I look back on it today I know
that I had more experience than all of them combined. With my confidence gone my chemistry changed and although I knew I had to pull myself together, I couldn't. I left the interview upset and angry with myself for not being able to stay focused and collected like I normally am. Needless to say, I received a very nice letter from NBC two weeks later letting me know that although I was very qualified, they had decided to hire others."

Lori shared her thoughts on the three keys to interviewing success:

"I have been very fortunate in the past with people seeking me out and asking me to apply for jobs with them. As you advise, my confidence in my own abilities and in those of my team, my ability to connect with people and my understanding of the industry I work in, including the competitive environment, have all contributed to those opportunities coming my way. I've been in the same industry for the past 25 years, with only a few hops off, and thus have been able to grow my knowledge and understanding of the environment. I also monitor events, using all of the great technology that is available. When preparing for an interview, I do my research as well to gather and understand general and specific information about the company and department I am applying to join. I record my successes, as well as my lessons learned and am able to reference this information to validate my confidence, and to celebrate my accomplishments and growth!"

Thanks to those of you who took the time to share your stories. It's what I love about this format - creating conversations!