New Year’s resolution for working people: Career happiness in 2008

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 30, 2007, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

TRY HAPPINESS AT WORK as New Year’s resolution.

Unhappiness at work is damaging to both the worker and the business. At the individual level, such unhappiness can result in absenteeism and other forms of inefficiency. At the group level, it can lead to crises that can warrant drastic measures and attract government intervention.

There are various causes of unhappiness at work: job mismatch, obnoxious boss, irritating officemates, lousy work conditions, misunderstandings due to miscommunication, low salaries, delayed salaries, chronic fatigue and so on.

We spend a huge amount of time at work that, inevitably, it has spillover effects on other aspects of our life. Left unchecked, unhappiness at work can adversely affect our relationships with our family and friends. It can also damage our health. It can paralyze us to a point where we are no longer able to function properly, let alone optimally.

Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology (psychology that focuses on wellness rather than on illness), explains that happiness has three components: positive emotions, complete engagement, and purpose in life. Based on results of global happiness surveys, this school of thought believes that happiness is not dependent on material trappings. Let us apply Seligman’s framework to experience happiness at work starting in 2008.

Positive emotions
What are negative emotions? The major ones are complaining, criticizing, competing and comparing. One is inviting unhappiness if he is engaged in these destructive emotions. In fact, in the case of comparisons, what makes people feel miserable is the Grass is Greener syndrome – the unbearable thought that others are better off than them.

What are positive emotions then? Oppositely, they are commending, affirming, cooperating and supporting. A person of courage and maturity accentuates the positive, demonstrates appreciation, works with competitors and expresses gratitude.

The mind is infinitely powerful. Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich” is an authoritative reference on positive thinking. As Hill says ‘thoughts are things.’ Happiness is first a creation of the mind that the body consequently articulates. Stop a negative thought as soon as it occurs. Do not allow negativism to dominate your work life.

Creating and maintaining positive disposition is vital to productivity. A cheerful worker radiates an energy that uplifts others. Tasks become lighter as well.

Complete engagement

Have you tried focusing on your job such that you got completely absorbed in it? This state of being is otherwise called peak performance. It demands presence or ‘being there,’ meaning that your mind, body and heart are synchronically attuned to the activity.

Take for example the mundane act of eating. Our taste buds become more receptive when we focus on the food. We are able to authentically appreciate the meal and stay fuller longer. Those who read, talk, watch television or surf the internet while eating diminish the health benefits of the food.

It would be to our advantage if we are able to rally all our senses to the demands of the occasion. Barring distractions, work becomes easier and enjoyable.

What we focus on is equally important. Lest we expend our energies on insignificant concerns, let us revisit Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” where the author distinguishes ‘urgent’ from ‘important’. According to Covey, something that is urgent demands immediate attention and is oftentimes irrelevant to the achievement of real goals. On the other hand, something that is important requires discernment and contributes to the achievement of vision, mission and goals. In other words, urgent matters force as to be reactive while important things require us to be proactive.

To sustain peak performance, and therefore happiness at work, stay committed to the things that are important and veer away from those that are merely urgent.

Purpose in life

What is your mission in life? Do you have a personal mission statement? A mission statement is your compass as you march along your career path. Covey calls it a Personal Constitution. A mission statement is life-defining.

Having a personal mission statement illustrates self leadership. With it you are able to discern the relevance of your work to your life. It is not enough though to have a personal mission statement. It is likewise important is to spell out how the mission is to be fulfilled.

Is your mission aligned with that of the company? Many would dismiss this as human resource hokum. One’s skills set may be what the company is looking for but dissonance in missions will ultimately result in job dissatisfaction. A proactive professional examines his personal mission and the corporate mission to determine their complementation. Of course, while changing a corporate mission is a major effort, a personal mission should be easy to modify anytime to fit emerging developments. Flexibility is a mark of a happy person.

What does a personal mission have to do with happiness? A personal mission serves as the anchor that will keep you steady in a sea of uncertainties. It becomes a source of stability. It gives you meaning.

Starting in 2008

The advent of a new year provides us with opportunities of renewal and fills us with optimism. Resolving to be happy at work is part of career stewardship. A happy person is a productive person. Here are supplementary reminders:

1. Don’t be unfair to yourself by insisting that you’ll be happy only when you’re done toiling. Be happy right at the moment, right where you are. Be grateful for even the littlest graces, unleash your sense of humor and laugh heartily.

2. Recognize when you are happy. Avoid the tendency of magnifying and verbalizing only unhappiness. Identify the causes of your unhappiness and work on ways how to overcome them. Prioritize unhappiness factors that are within your control. Seek the support of family, friends and colleagues.

3. Acknowledge that you cannot be happy all the time. But with determination, you can be happy most of the time. To avoid disappointment, do not romanticize reality or set impossible standards.

4. Initiate lifestyle changes that will support happiness at work and in life in general. Strive for work-life balance.

5. Have a spring in your step as you wake up to start each workday. It said that as a race Filipinos are predisposed to be happy. Use that to your advantage.

HAPPY New Year!

Numbers to help you succeed in the workplace

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 2, 2007, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

NUMBERS HELP PEOPLE understand what is happening around them. Numbers help express and execute ideas better. Numbers can help measure experiences. Here are numbers from different disciplines that can help you excel in the world of work.

Communication

Effective communication is a key leadership skill. You may be gifted with verbal precision – using the right words at the right time – but this gift is squandered when your speech and body language are not in harmony with each other. While voice tonality accounts for 38 percent of your communication, body language represents an astounding 55 percent. Your choice of words adds in a mere seven percent. Communicate with impact by synchronizing your speech with tone and body language.

Presentations and conversations become dull after 20 minutes – that is the maximum length of time a person can stay focused. Rapid talking is not advisable though. We comfortably hear from 150 to 160 words per minute. Pace yourself well. After two days, your audience will retain only 20 percent of what they heard. Aid memory retention by making your every utterance count: use keywords, visual aids and exercises.

Time management

Only 20 percent of your activities account for 80 percent of your productivity. Inversely, 80 percent of your activities contribute only 20 percent to your productivity. The unproductive bulk is spent on time wasters such as gossip, YouTube, Friendster and other distractions. Stop wasting time by setting goals and planning ahead. If you resolve to always come early to the office remember that it takes all of 21 days of daily practice to form a new habit pattern.

First impressions

Thirty seconds is all it takes to establish your first impression. Within those precious seconds, 13 judgments about you are made. Poor image can kill your career. Impressions management is indeed important.

An impressed supervisor will probably tell his superiors and colleagues about your outstanding performance. A disappointed boss will certainly relay his frustration to as many persons he can reach. In customer care, it is estimated that bad service reports outnumber good service reports by as many as 5:1. Translated to impressions, these could be termed ‘criticisms versus praises.’ With the help of technology, bad news travels at the speed of light.

In consumer behavior, personal recommendations remain the most trusted information.
Good or bad, others are bound to know about you. Through word of mouth, it will take only three personality types to spread your reputation. They are, as described in Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" -- the connector who is respected in broad networks, the maven who analyzes information and shares his knowledge with other people for better decisionmaking, and the salesman who has excellent people skills. Reaching enough number of people, these three movers will be able to build a tipping point that will decide the fate of your career.

Lifelong employability

Good reviews are not an assurance of your staying power. For more than a hundred reasons including outsourcing, redundancy and obsolescence of competency, 100 percent of jobs are mortal. What is important is lifelong employability not lifetime employment. A lifetime of professional desirability will be attained with continuous retooling. Of course, attitude – towards yourself, towards others and towards your work – makes 100.

Working wonder women

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 16, 2007, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

Raising women from the rank and file

WORKING FILIPINAS are harvesting world acclaim. A 2007 Thornton International Business Report study ranked the Philippines on top of 32 countries in terms of number of women in senior management positions. The same study noted that 97 percent of businesses in the Philippines have women in senior management positions – a remarkable rate compared to the global average of 59 percent. In a related development, Fortune magazine’s October 15, 2007 issue ranked SM Investments Vice Chairman Teresita Sy-Coson number 41 in its prestigious roster of 50 Most Powerful Women in Global Business.

Studies explain that women excel in the workplace because of their perseverance, creativity, dedication, attentiveness to detail, flexibility and emotional intelligence. My work oftentimes requires working with women executives who effortlessly demonstrate their sense of direction and purpose, passion, intellect, empathy and sense of humor.

The Department of Labor and Employment reported that in 2006 there were 2.3 million women in supervisory positions. If there is this many women managers, there are more women among the rank and file. Whether inspired by their high ranking sisters, driven by personal ambition or by economic necessity, a good number of women in the rank and file aspire for management positions. Career planning and outstanding work performance is their legitimate vehicle for reaching the desired destination. Management and HR can help propel the careers of worthy women with the following:

Build a diversity-friendly workplace. Many Fortune 100 companies, Chevron among them, are employers of choice because of gender mainstreaming. Your company does not have to be in any prestigious list to build a diversity-friendly workplace. Start by being open to its added values, among which are: attracting talent, knowledge sharing, boosting employee morale, diversity awareness and improved public perception. The idea is to create a work environment of productive codependence on the strength of men and women’s equal dignity and value. Ensure that physical and organizational structures support the needs and aspirations of women employees. Conducting gender sensitivity seminars will help inculcate respect and eliminate harm and exploitation.

Spot potential early on. Use performance appraisal metrics to identify potential candidates for talent development. Observe the employee’s achievement orientation, decision-making, leadership and teamwork, and communication skills among others. These are reliable predictors of future managerial performance. Target, say, those belonging to the top 20 percent high potential women workers for career development.

Develop, demand, recognize. Having identified high potential women, it is time to ask them to submit a simple plan that identifies their development needs. In response, give them necessary training and mentoring. Encourage them to embark on self-initiated development to supplement company-sponsored learning opportunities. Assign more challenging tasks to them and acknowledge their accomplishments. Create feedback mechanisms.

Equal opportunity promotion. Being an equal opportunity employer is a start. Once inside the organization, men and women should be enabled to enjoy equal salaries and compete for promotions based on clear qualification criteria. The glass ceiling – the invisible barrier that, on account of gender stereotypes, prevents women from reaching the top of the corporate ladder – has to be shattered.

Celebrate working women. Organize the company’s women into a group that can contribute to the wellbeing of its members, the company and society. It can be the company’s major social responsibility. Organize fun activities aimed at recognizing women’s participation in the company. These activities can be conducted on a monthly or quarterly basis, with major activities during Women’s Month, which is celebrated in March. They should include learning sessions where women executives and those in rank and file can interact. Women leaders from various sectors can also be invited for lectures.

The call to action is not for companies to give special treatment to women but to eliminate gender-based workplace biases that deprive women and companies they work for of tremendous benefits. As the world congratulates the Philippines for the success of its women managers, Filipino companies should support women in the rank and file by developing them into second liners, future managers and business leaders.