Resources

Author: Barbara Brown, PhD

Are you a manager who is looking for ways to jumpstart or advance your career? If so, in addition to working hard and achieving goals, you might want to find ways to subtlety (and not so subtlety) show that you understand the BIG PICTURE.

Why? Because the further you move up the corporate ladder, the more your responsibilities will cover a wide range of areas within your organization. So you want to demonstrate your understanding of how the achievement of goals impacts profits or customer service for your 10-person team as well as for your 100-person organization. HOW and WHEN do you do that? Consider these four instances:

During Planning Discussions With Superiors: Think about the instances when you have to meet with your immediate boss or other powerful people to discuss future goals, strategies, etc. In those situations, find a way to link what your team or unit is doing to some broader organizational objective. For example, if the discussion concerns profits, describe how an increase in revenues in your area of responsibility might positively impact other areas. You could make the same connection with customer service, quality, or productivity. The topics are limitless.

During Progress Discussions With Superiors: There are times when you have to update senior managers on what you and your team are doing. Use these opportunities to showcase your knowledge about what is happening elsewhere in your organization. Make connections with other teams, divisions, and departments. For instance, you might show how what you are doing or what you have done will lead to the completion of an assignment somewhere else.

During Problem Solving Discussions With Superiors: Consider situations when the topic is problems rather than progress. These might involve people, processes, profits, or practices. Whatever the topic, use these encounters to demonstrate your knowledge about the synergistic impact—how failure in one area will impact another area. If the problem involves your team, explain how the resolution will affect other teams. If the problem involves another area within your organization, draw connections between improvements in that area and improvements in other areas.

During Non-Work Discussions With Superiors: Think about all the chance encounters you have with influential people. These might occur at the elevator, in the cafeteria, on the parking lot, or a charity event. Wherever the encounter, you probably start talking about the one thing you definitely have in common-WORK! So don’t just tell the other person what you do or respond to a question with a “yes” or “no” answer. Instead, pepper your remarks with comments about the strategic plan, the company vision, or the organization mission. And be sure to link what you do to outcomes in other areas within your organization.

Demonstrating Your BIG PICTURE Understanding Is Easy

The people in your organization who have power, influence, and authority can help you jumpstart or advance your career. And you are always talking to these people. So use such encounters to let them know how competent you are AND how much you know about your organization. The further you move up the ladder, the more you will need to understand the BIG PICTURE. To demonstrate that understanding, all you have to do is make a few small changes in what you say. So start today!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/jumpstart-your-career-by-using-a-big-picture-approach-799411.html

Author: Bob Stanley

Almost half of the jobseekers and employees are embarrassed to be the first to raise the pay issue even though in reality they are unhappy with the salary they are offered or salary they are currently receiving. But, negotiating your salary is not that difficult as long as you tackle it professionally. Nowadays, salary negotiation is generally discussed during job interviews.

Ideally, the first person to raise this sensitive issue is the employer (interviewer). Before laying your cards on the table of what you are willing to accept, ask the employer how much he/she is willing to offer. But, if that is not the case, do your homework. Ask around for the salary range of employees with the same position and industry you are applying to. You should be familiar with how much employees carrying out similar roles and responsibilities are being paid. The culture and attitude of different employers vary, but at least you have an idea of the prevailing market rates so in the end you will never feel like you are the injured party.

It is also essential to find out as much information as you can about the company’s financial situation and capabilities. Of course, if you are applying in major companies, you can demand or ask for a higher salary. But, if you are thinking of applying to positions in charitable institutions or small and medium enterprises, then your chances of getting a higher compensation is not that great.

If asked about how much you are currently earning, politely avoid answering the question. I always believed I was paid fairly and I was happy with my compensation, but at this point in my career I’m looking for new challenges. It is a good idea to be honest, but no need to limit yourself by telling the interviewee your existing one.

In many cases, if you will be asked what sort of salary you are looking for, you could tell your prospective employer that you need more detail of the role you are going to engage in the company. If pressed with time, it is fine to tell the interviewer that you need time to think about the ideal salary range, and then move the conversation along.

Most importantly, when you negotiate about the pay, negotiate for a win-win situation with your employer. A good negotiation is a discussion in which both parties understand and respect each other’s position and responsibilities. It ends when all parties feel that their concerns are heard and their needs have been addressed well.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/negotiation-for-pay-effective-ways-to-negotiate-your-salary-801007.html

Author: Barbara Brown, PhD

OK. You work hard, your employees work hard, and you achieve goals. But so do all the other managers in your organization. So how do you stand out from the crowd? How do you make yourself the best candidate among all the candidates? By learning everything about your organization’s purpose, goals, and plans. And by highlighting “how” what you do contributes to achievements in these areas. In other words, you let decision-makers know that you understand the Big Picture and where you fit. Here is how you do that:

Learn About The Big Picture

To stand out among the crowd, you have to know what’s important to your organization. You also have to stay abreast of what’s happening where you work. Your goal is to master information about the Big Picture when it comes to your organization. Use these 4 strategies:

1. Look at your company’s organizational chart. Look at the relationship between offices, divisions, and departments. Look at the relationship between your office and other areas of the organization. You want to see how your products and services affect the products and services provided elsewhere.

2. Review your organization’s vision, mission, and/or values statements. If there are supporting statements for the department/division where you work, review these as well. You want to identify the ways you and your employees contribute to achievements in these areas.

3. Read any statements or articles from your CEO or organizational leader. This is where you will find information about future goals, plans, or problems.

4. Glance at documents involving budgets or money matters. Look for the bottom line on funds, profits, and losses.

5. Take copious notes when attending meetings where the discussion involves events, actions, or activities that have an organizational impact. You want to have “real time” information about factors that affect workloads, employees, etc..

Decide What To Say About The Big Picture

No matter what you do, there is probably some way to connect your products and services to a Big Picture item. If not, you probably shouldn’t be doing it. To make this connection, just remember what you have read, seen, or heard. Then, link this knowledge to the workload item you are discussing. For example, the following could be used when talking or writing:

1. “This improvement will allow us to achieve our strategic goal related to…”

2. “I see that the budget changes have…”

3. “The project we just completed fits right in with this year’s vision of…’

4. “If we meet these deadlines, we might avoid the kind of global problems…”

5. “The installation of the new system will help the facilities department…”

6. “Those changes will allow us to start reducing the excessive backlogs…”

Identify Opportunities To Talk About The Big Picture

To highlight your contributions, think about the many activities you do and the many interactions you have. There are probably dozens each day. You just have to use those situations to emphasize your understanding of the Big Picture. Here are a few instances:

1. When initiating emails or responding to emails, add a statement at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.

2. When giving status reports about workloads to management, interject a comment at some point during the update.

3. At senior management meetings where you are asked to present or contribute comments, add a statement during your presentation.

4. During informal or formal meetings with senior managers, include an observation during the discussion.

5. When talking to senior managers at extracurricular activities, make a reference when giving input.

6. When engaged in “passing conversations” about work with senior managers, offer an insight during the conversation.

To Get Promoted, You Have To Stand Out From The Crowd

If you are a manager who wants to get promoted, working hard is critical. But remember, every other manager is working equally hard. So you have to distinguish your contributions from those of other managers. You can do that by letting decision-makers know that you understand the Big Picture and where you fit. That’s how you stand out from the crowd. And if you can stand out from the crowd, you increase your chances of getting promoted.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/getting-promoted-how-hard-working-managers-can-stand-out-from-the-crowd-565120.html