There’s No “I” In Team But There Is “Me”

Well, the NFL is back on the air with the beginning of pre-season football. The sound of plastic smashing into large bodies traveling at high speeds is a sure sign of the turning season. Inflated oval balls spiraling down a 100 yard field to waiting hands interrupted by the loud crunch of bodies hurtling this way and that at nearly superhuman speeds stopping abruptly through contact with a larger body or plastic artificial turf reminds me that America’s favorite sport is back.

Now I have to say, that as far as pro sports go, football is my favorite. (I haven’t yet received my apology for the last baseball strike so I can’t support major league baseball.)

But there’s a reason why America loves football. It’s the quintessential team sport. Yes, on the lower levels one or two players can dominate a game but in the pro game that really doesn’t happen and those teams that have one dominating player never win championships. Essentially, a pro football team can’t function unless everyone does his part.

And that’s what people will tell you on the job, where sports analogies abound.

So yes, you should be a team player.

Always.

But being a team player doesn’t mean that you can’t be a team leader and too many people think that it means do your job and you’ve done your part. Being a leader means going above and beyond your job. Do what you need to to do consistently well. And try to find a better, more efficient way of doing it. Even if it means doing something manually. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone spend two hours looking for a telephone number on-line when a simple call to information would have taken two minutes.

So it goes back to basic leadership and again, you don’t have to be in charge to be a leader. I think Dick Winters the World War II officer made famous in “Band of Brothers” had the best definition. He said it came from a sign he saw in training that read, “Follow Me.”

I think too many people think being a leader automatically means being the “star”. When you think about it, the quarterback might be the greatest passer in history but even Tom Brady would have a hard time making any passes flat on his back with a 300 pound lineman lying on him. You think Michael Vick is hoping that he doesn’t have any dog lovers blocking for him?

The best leaders do what they have to do to get the job done. This means that when he has to, the quarterback throws a block or makes a tackle.

One of the episodes this brings to mind is when we had implemented a new applicant tracing system and there was no consistency in opening a job req which in turn meant all types of compliance issues. In order to give ourselves some breathing space and get people trained properly I volunteered to open all the reqs myself until everyone was on the same page which added an extra 10-15 hours to my week. But I had a great team and they followed my lead and volunteered to help which helped the group as a whole. They were stars in my eyes for picking up on the example I was trying to set.

So how do you stand out while still being a team player? You go above and beyond and consistently do your best. Never just phone it in. Because if you do just phone it in you should find something you like better. Since it’s better to leave than to be cut.

Remember, your skills are your job security.

Best,
James Seetoo

Spam Spam Spam Spam

I opened my email the other day and saw an email from James Oliver that said “Job Offer”.  You mean the British TV Chef?  Sure, I’ll open it – why not?  I like to cook.  I’ve seen him train kids.  Maybe it’s time for a new career.

Well it says they’re looking for someone with accounts payable and accounts receivable experience.  Not exactly my forte but hey, maybe I can get an autographed cookbook or something.

So I clicked on the link and it took me to a job board.  A job board!

It wasn’t from James “Jamie” Oliver at all.  No glamorous cooking career for me.  No autographed cookbook.

Where did these people get my email address? I can honestly say I’ve only applied on line for one job.

Then I got another email titled “A Great Opportunity in your profession has found you”.  Recruiter?  Blogger? Okay, I’ll take a look.

Somehow a recruiter with Comcast Cable Western Division thinks I would be a great Residential Account Executive – in San Jose.  That’s commutable from San Diego.  And the email came from a “recruiter”, no name but still a “recruiter”. So what would I do in this job?

Well, it’s door to door sales for Comcast.

Ah, I see.  Well, I did say that we’re all in sales.  But realistically, I haven’t done door to door sales since trick or treating for UNICEF.  And I think the costume really helped then but I don’t think Comcast let’s you wear one. But how did they know?  I mean, it’s not like that gig was on my resume.

So who are they trying to attract with these jobs?  I mean, is that how people see me?

I think these are aimed at people who are desperate and willing to try anything.  I put them into the same category as “recruiters” who charge candidates a fee for service.  In other words, crap.  Stay away from them, delete immediately and don’t click on their links.  No, they’re probably not viruses they’re worse – they’re permission for more spam.

I think it’s important to keep in mind that there are a lot of people out there trying to take advantage of you.  Make sure that any offer you get makes sense.  Do these people know you?  Have they read your resume?  Are they offering millions of dollars from Nigeria if you’ll only send your bank account information?

But when things seem bad, these types of things sound like they might be a possibility.  They’re not.  Do yourself a favor.  Stand in the sun, throw your arms and head back and smile wide even if you don’t feel like smiling.  You’ll feel better and when you look at these things you’ll see that they’re just like any other spam – destined for the trash.

And if they’re not, then maybe I do need a new career.  Maybe cooking with Spam – after all it’s one of the most popular foods in Hawaii.  Spam Musubi – maybe I should email Jamie Oliver and suggest that he add it to the menu? Food Network here I come.

Remember, your skills are your job security.

Best,

James Seetoo

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The Deadly Faux Pas

Well, you’ve made it through the maze of on line applications or did the smart thing and leveraged a contact.  You’re standing in the parking lot about to go into your interview.  You’re in your best interview clothes, relaxed and confident and ready to go in.  You meet the first interviewer in the lobby and give a firm handshake, locking eyes with a steady gaze.  You’ve got copies of your resume ready to go. You slip a breath mint into your mouth just in case.

You’ve got everything you can control under control.

Or do you?

Have you done your homework?  What do you really know about the company, its culture and its goals?

The biggest mistake you can make going into an interview is not researching the company you’re approaching.  Thanks to the Internet there’s an incredible array of information sources you can use to check a company. Obviously public companies are easier to check on than private ones and for private companies you should leverage any contacts you may be able to make through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

When researching public companies the first thing I do is go to the company’s investor relations page.  You’ll be able to see how a company is doing and the quarterly earnings calls will tell you where the company sees itself going.  You can also get a lot of information from Yahoo Finance which has the same information as the free version of Hoovers.

Social media has really exploded in this area with people posting on message boards anonymously to talk about their companies.  Naturally most of these posts are complaints but rumor is often news that hasn’t been substantiated yet.  In biotech there’s the Biofind Rumor Mill (www.biofind.com) and for other types of businesses there are sites like Jobvent (www.jobvent.com).

The main point is that you should really take the time to find out what the company leadership is saying about the business and where they are taking it.  They usually use buzz words that permeate throughout a company and when you use these in your interview you’re seen as being a good cultural fit.

It reminds me of an episode Tony Bourdain relates in his classic book, “Kitchen Confidential”.  He was interviewing for a job at a steakhouse with someone with a very strong accent and the last question was he thought, “So what do you know about me?” He decided to be honest and said “Nothing.” The question was, “So what do you know about meat?”.

Now obviously you can’t account for accents but you can understand the buzz words and phrases companies use internally. You’ll create tremendous rapport.

Remember, your skills are your job security.

Best,

James Seetoo

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