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Frederick the Great said, If you try to hold everything, you hold nothing I want to modify that a little bit to say, if you try to do everything, you do nothing.   When it comes to the all the projects and efforts placed on a Technology team you have to fall back to a list of agreed priorities.  I am currently watching my fearless leader trying to be every thing to everyone.   Don’t get me wrong, he is a super guy.  However,  he is going to run himself into the ground and I will need more than an oven mitt to clean up the post nuclear fallout from pieces of what will be left of his sanity.

This is isn’t an article pitching project management or time management. It’s about focus triage.  We are under siege, love that movie by the way, and we must repel borders. It is warfare and we must apply some military tactics.  A fight to the end is being waged for your time and attention by others. There is only so much one person can do and being pulled in to many directions simultaneously is very tiring and unproductive say nothing of the impacts to one’s quality of work product.

Know thy enemy — real time distractions have to be contended with (IM, phone, SMS, people stopping by to talk, etc).  I often have to combat some of these intrusions by just working from home a few days a week. Not that I don’t have a few interruptions at home from time to time.  Also, we are being barraged by “normal” distracting activities such as ill purposed meetings. These are a little more subtle, like having a meeting with no written agenda and the famous meeting to discuss having meetings.  Everyone has their jobs and priorities but we have to focus only the top ones.  I see one little one hour meeting here and there turn into 10-15 hours a week of idleness.  Then there is the endless followup meetings which seem to just become perpetual.

Since I have deemed the year 2008 as the year of “getting real”, we need to cut out the low-priority/useless meetings and interactions that we participate in.  We feel like we need to appease our friends/co-workers, contribute, or be a part of the issues.   We have to stop pretending that we can be all to everyone.  It’s just not real.  But if we choose not to recognize it  or continue to rationalize it we are going to look around and it will be September or October and we won’t really have completed anything but have started many.

We will always get taken to task for those things that we didn’t accomplish or play out the should’a woulda, coulda’s  but if I’m going to get my ass spanked for not doing everything, then I’m damn well going to get beaten for the little insignificant things.

For many it’s that time again — performance review time. I thought it might be a good time for me to review some lessons I have learned. Some of these tips are minor compared to others, but I have seen, been part of, or done most of these errors.

1. It is called a review for a reason

It’s a review — that means if there has been something the reviewed person has been doing wrong, the review is not when you bring it up for the first time. If a direct report is doing something wrong, schedule a different meeting than the review to bring it up. As a manager, you want to lose lots of respectably, drop a new “screw-up” in the review.

2. Watch were you sit

Some may never think about the little things. The environment where the review is done is very important. It must be done in a private place that is free from distractions. Don’t answer the phone if it rings, don’t email or IM either during the review. This is often a general courtesy and respect given when someone is in your office anyway. However, have been in my review, the phone ring, and my boss answer it. That behavior sends that “your not that important to me” message loud and clear. Also, don’t sit behind a desk or table across from the person being reviewed. That layout is often seen as intimidating, so swing your chair around and sit next to the person. It subconsciously communicates that “we are on the same side - a team” feeling.

In this global environment, many managers have direct reports scattered over the planet. There are two things I believe should never be done over the phone — being fired or be given a review. Managers, if at all possible, fly, video conference if you must, but it is critical to see the person your reviewing. I once was given a review over the phone and it wasn’t a lot of fun. I personally do not have a personality that requires large amounts of performance feedback so I was generally okay with it. However, I know lots of people who live or die with their performance reviews. For me it boils down to be a value and respect issue.

3. Two way street

A review isn’t like watching television, it requires active participation by the reviewer and the person being reviewed. So both parties must be ready!

4. Know why; ask why

If you give someone a rating, know why that is. If they get an average or below average rating on something, be able to explain why with specific examples. Also, be ready to give guidance on how to improve that rating. If you can’t do these things, your not ready to give the review. Time for a personal experience on this one. I once had a review with my manager where I asked –as I do on every review — “this rating was my lowest, what can I do to improve it?” and all I got was “Ah,Ah, well… you know…” At that point, I couldn’t respect his opinions of my performance. It was not even a negative rating, it was just the lowest numbered one. I just said okay and played the review out as fast as possible because I didn’t care about what he thought anymore.

For you being reviewed, you don’t get away so easy either (see #3). Reviewees, it is your job to ask questions and understand why. You need to know why you got the ratings and what you can do to improve them. No one is perfect and there is always room for improvement. A career is always a moving target, if you ever reach the target there is something really wrong.

5. Career Path & Objectives

These two items are often and should be discussed during a performance review (see #3). A reviewee should have a good idea of what they want out of their job, their desired career path, and should communicate it to his or her management. Likewise, a manager should seek this out from his or her direct reports and do what is best to help the employee achieve their career path and objectives in line with the company’s needs. Training (internal and external), mentoring, and possible growth challenges should be addressed as well.

If you have any others you think should be added, let me know. Email : feedback at itminddesign dot com.

A discussion with a colleague of mine around career paths made me want to write this post. He indicated that he was always interested in learning new things but mentioned that he would not take a certain certification because it is not down his “chosen” career path. My immediate thought was, “Wow, how those statements must be in conflict.” He went on to say that being involved in hiring at a previous employer, he was instructed to look for a consistent track in the previous employments of a potential candidate. I think what struck me the most was his hubris about not taking some classes that would actually allow him to provide some value to his team. The arrogance to think that he knows what path he is on and where he is going and anything “beneath him” would just be wrong. I can respect not wanted to focus in areas not in your perceived path, but you don’t have to be condescending about it. I do not have that certification that he doesn’t want, however I think it would help all of us if we had it, and I am more than willing to take the classes. Any training a company is willing to give, I think employees should want to take. Whew, I feel better now.

So, my little rant leads me to want to look at this more. We need to flush out any realities in his perspectives. What makes a career path? Is it really possible to fully plan one out? I know that expectations of what makes a good career has changed. For my father’s generation it was find a good job with good benefits and work hard. Longevity and loyalty was rewarded. Regrettably, those days do not really exist anymore. I remember not too long after the company’s transition from mainframe technology to Open Systems. When my boss at the time and I began sorting resumes for an additional Unix Systems Administrator, my “old school” boss did not want to talk with or meet anyone who jumped around from job to job every couple of years. After finding very few candidates, we learned that the reality of the candidate market for open systems was one where longevity did not really exist. As I have assisted in the candidate acquisition in my various roles over the years, the pattern of job hopping still is predominate.

To try to answer the “What makes/is a career path?”, I think the answer is the some total of jobs and positions through out someone’s life. Individuals often define themselves in terms of their occupation or career. Don’t believe me? Try this then, start meeting new people and keep track of how many minutes or seconds go by before they ask you what do you do for a living. I’m not discounting a person’s job. I am trying to point out that for some it is the greatest defining factor to”who they are”. So, be careful in handling that factor, it can be extremely fragile and easily crushed if inadvertently stepped on.

Now, to evaluate the realism of a fully planned out career. I find out it hard to believe most people, if they had a plan at all, end up where they had planned. I admit there are some with a clear path, who have one goal and work their whole lift to achieve it. Those who want to have a professional sports career or participate in the Olympics. However, the majority of people who set out for these laudable goals ever make it. For those of us with careers that do not have a clear, predefined pinnacle position, how do you know which paths will take you to the perceived “top” position. When I went to college and got my first IT job, all I knew was that I wanted to work in “computers”. At the time, I had no idea how vague that statement really was. Lucky for me, the folks who hired me must have saw something or felt I was worth the chance. I was told long after I was hired that one reason I was hired was that I had worked at one big-box retailer for many years and they found it odd that someone so young could take a job and stick with it. Some more of my embarrassing remembrances about my interview can be found in the posting, IT Workers - The Next Generation. Lucky for me I had “old school” principles.

I have been reading the book Age of Turbulence by Allan Greenspan. I am more than 2/3 through the book and one of the biggest surprises to me is that, Greenspan did not start out focusing on being an economist . He played the clarinet as well as a sax in a jazz band in college. When he went to college for economics, I do not think he was driving toward becoming the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. I’m sure in regards to the careers of economists this position could be seen as one of the capstone job. It is not fair to say that if someone does not reach a pinnacle position in their lifetime that they were not successful. Success, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As for IT, what job could be considered the pinnacle? Being a CIO or CTO? Maybe. What about those awesome technical wonders who could not manage a team out of wet paper bag? Maybe the Chief Architect at some Fortune 500 company or Principle Architect at some global conglomerate? Could be. I reject that the premise for a job candidate is to be a good, stable employee. There must be some clearly evident path for a person’s career. The span of a career or multiple careers are 30-50+ years for some. I think people require defined levels of stability, variety, and growing challenges. That’s how I define a career no matter what combination of jobs or fields. Those individual levels are set by a combination of several factors including personal, family, and social expectations. An individuals own ego and self-esteem also play into these levels. I’m sure further discussion of these factors need an article of its own.

If someone is still looking for the area that interests them, I can not see holding their search against them. Some need more variety and challenges than others. It’s only our hubris that makes us think that we can be the judge of someone’s career. It’s often easy to forget behind each job title and email is a human who faces similar issues and feelings through out their lifetimes.

Today, I really didn’t start out thinking that this was going to be my topic for the blog. However, as I was reading my newest copy of Business Week, which I look forward to every week, I read this article Youthquake and was generally happy with it. I’m glad to see people being passionate about things that are important and wanting to express themselves by getting involved. Then we hit this part in reference to Generation Y (a.k.a the Millennials) which I draw issue:

Growing up in the era of cater-to-kids politics, the V-Chip, and helicopter parenting, they were the most coddled generation ever, infused with their elders’ belief that they possessed unique abilities.

I have seen this reference several times in the past few months. Lucky for me, by Business Week’s definitions I am not a Millennial. phew.
Though in another atricle I read, apparently I am. Here is the article, Young IT workers disillusioned, hard to hold, survey says - Network World
Since this article is about me, I think I need to respond. First, to clear up a few things for those folks over at Network World, Generation X is defined as

For the purpose of this study, Generation X is defined as people aged 21 to 32, that is, respondents born during the years 1968-1979. US Census Bureau “Census 2000 Ethnographic Study” (June 17, 2003)

I have to say that I am disappointed by the wide generalities by these writers. NetworkWorld wrote this article based off 100 executives (awesome sampling size) polled in Massachusetts and 50% of respondents described those Gen-Yers as the hardest to manage. Well, if 50 executives in Massachusetts say it, then it must be true. Gen Xers came in second with 17% saying they were the hardest to manage. Wow, 17 executives.

On the article it quotes,

For instance, many younger workers expect to get an office immediately or be paid at a rate higher than entry level.

and

Millennials are coming in with high expectations and are disillusioned about the reality of a work place. They feel they should be rewarded and start at the top, when we all know you have to work your way up. They have been raised to be rewarded often and when you get into the workforce those rules change a bit.

As a Gen Xer or Yer, depending on which website you visit, I had no expectations of anything other than a paycheck when I started in IT. I was just happy for the opportunity and in fact, I am still grateful for the opportunity. Since I am in need of some self humiliation, I shall share something that I’m not sure I told anyone, and the only people who know are the ones who interviewed me. I still cringe when I remember my outfit I went to my interview in. No suite, just pants, shirt, and tie. And the power accessory to knock’em dead? –the baseball cap, to hide my long hair that I believe I hadn’t even combed for the interview. I’m glad someone saw something in me. I’m glad someone didn’t look at my baby face, and go, oh one of those entitled Gen Xers, I can’t manage those kids. By far I was the youngest, had lots to learn, and embraced anything anyone of any age was willing to show or explain. Eleven years later, I’m not the youngest anymore, but I am still that kid.

I think these wide stereotypes are biasing managers. I’m am quite certain that someone can find anyone in any generation that fits some of these expectations of entitlements. For example, there is an article In Defense of Gen Y Workers - CIO.com which I hope was tongue and cheek, if not, it may support many of the fears of the managers of Gen Xers and Yers. I know people need to have something to go on because we will never know everything about every person. So I understand that people use generalities and stereotypes, but everyone is different and you can miss so much if you just put everone in a catigorized bucket.  Utilimately, you have to take every person, one at a time.

So my final piece of GenX wisdom to those 50 whiny executives in Massachusetts — just stop your whining, because excellent leaders like yourselves can adapt and overcome to manage anyone.