It seems that women may not be “opting out” as much as they are being laid off.  According to a Congressional report issued on Tuesday, women have become as vulnerable as men are to losing their jobs during economic downturns.  Not exactly the kind of news for either men or women to celebrate since a typical family relies on the wife for more than one third of its income.

While we can’t control what happens on a macro level (although we can certainly pay attention to policies those running for office propose  and vote accordingly), we can help ourselves even in a difficult economy.

Lois offered some great advice last month; I’d like to expand on some of her points and disagree with another: (more…)

TAGS: adding value, bosses, managing up, managing your career, surviving downsizing

Today’s economy has made the workplace more competitive than ever.   Financial services firms, retailers, and even your neighborhood Starbuck’s are feeling the crunch.  You can increase the likelihood of not just surviving in this economy, but thriving by being the kind of employee who adds value and is also a delight to work with.   Try following these ten simple steps to increase the likelihood of being bullet proof:

1.    Make it easy to give you feedback by regularly asking what you can do “more of” or “less of” to better meet the boss’s expectations. 

2.    When you are given feedback, don’t rebut it or argue with it.  Simply listen, thank the boss for taking the time to give it to you and promise that you will take it seriously.  Then act in ways that show you got the message. 

3.    Learn the boss’s primary objectives and develop your own goals around those.   Be certain to illuminate how your actions are in sync with his or hers.  Making the boss look good makes you look good.

4.    Don’t cry on the boss’s shoulder.  Even though some appear very kind and understanding, bosses really don’t want to play the role of psychologist.  If you do break down in front of the boss, excuse yourself and do your boo-hooing in the ladies room. 

5.    Never try to change the boss.  It’s not your job.  You can (and should) ask for what you need to be effective (more time together, more feedback, etc.) but whether or not you get it is entirely up to the boss.

6.    Distinguish your boss from your parents, husband or other meaningful people in your life.  Many times women react to the boss as they might to a parent because the boss is an authority figure of sorts.  This can result in you misinterpreting the boss’s behavior or comments. 

7.    See your boss as a human being, not a one-dimensional entity.  The boss is bound to make mistakes, let you down, and have his or her own problems too.  Don’t put bosses on a pedestal — they’ll always tumble off.  Be as forgiving as you would want the boss to be with you.

8.    Deliver more than you promise.  Make certain you meet or beat deadlines, submit work free from errors, and go the extra mile to interpret data, not just report it.

9.    Avoid being a “high maintenance” employee.  Too many complaints, too many challenges, or being too needy will put you in this category.  As one CEO said, “I like it when people push once and push twice.  Three times is too many.”

10. If  you’ve done all the things described above and you still don’t trust your boss, if the boss is making your life miserable, or if it’s clear your boss doesn’t trust you, you have only three options: wait the boss out until a new one comes in; transfer to another department within your company; quit.  It’s that simple. 

TAGS: adding value, bosses, managing up, managing your career, surviving downsizing

Erin Callan, the highest ranking and most visible woman on Wall Street, lost her job as chief financial officer at Lehman Brothers last week.  Suddenly.  The New York Times reported, “On Monday, Ms. Callan ended her call with analysts by saying, “I’m going to be happy to be back here talking to you again next week,’ she said.  On Thursday morning, however, Ms. Callan gathered belongings from her office and drove to her house in East Hampton on Long Island…”

Whether she was removed as reported by the Times or she voluntarily stepped down as the Wall Street Journal states, it is clear that she didn’t last long in the role.  Callan, a former tax lawyer and investment banker took the CFO job in December, 2007.  In an article for the Wall Street Journal last month, Suzanne Craig quoted Joseph Gregory, her mentor (who also lost his job as Lehman’s #2) as saying the company made a “leap” when it gave her the CFO job but that it wanted someone who could “really explain Lehman’s story.”

Have you heard of the glass cliff research?  It’s about the phenomenon that women are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles that carry a great deal of risk of failure.  It seems pretty clear that Lehman had some problems in December when Callan took the CFO role; the Lehman story she had to tell wasn’t very pretty. 

So what can we learn from this story? 

1. Don’t be too quick to say “yes” when an opportunity comes long.  Take some time to assess the situation carefully.
2. Don’t be seduced by the title or the trappings of the job. Ask plenty of questions including: “Why me?” and ”Why now?”
3. Think about the potential challenges you will face if you do take the job and figure out what you wlll need to mitigate the risk you face.  Then negotiate for that support and those resources.

It may be that Erin Callan knew exactly how steep the glass cliff was but the fall must still hurt.

TAGS: corner office, managing your career, Negotiation, new to the job, playing to win, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, women and careers, Women at Work, women leaders

A young woman called the other day and asked how to handle being suddenly ”laid off.”  I asked a few questions about the size of the company, how many other people were laid off, etc.  As it turns out, she was the only one let go.  Listen up, girlfriends.  When only one person is laid off it’s not a lay-off — it’s a termination.  Weak, incompetent bosses who don’t have the guts to do their jobs by giving feedback to employees for how they can improve performance often use the euphemism laid off when they really mean fired.  If you find yourself in this situation, here’s what you do:

1.  Ask yourself how you missed the clues leading up to this.  Were you given subtle feedback that you ignored?  Did you not take your boss seriously when he or she told you to do a few things differently?  Did you not take time to build relationships with people who might have been honest with you about your performance?  Being fired should never come as a surprise if you are vigilant about the verbal and nonverbal messages being conveyed all the time in the workplace.
2. Ask the boss or HR for feedback.  Without being argumentative or defensive, simply ask for feedback that would help you to avoid being in this situation in the future.  Cowardly bosses won’t be honest but with any luck you might get some good insights to work on at the next job.
3. Negotiate.  It’s easier to find a job when you have a job, so see if you can negotiate to keep your office for a finite period of time or be given a workspace from which to conduct your job search.  Ask the company  to keep you on the payroll until you’ve used up vacation time, PTO, or sick time. This way you can legitimately say you are currently employed.  Similarly, negotiate a severence package that includes extended health insurance and other benefits.  If needed, hire a good labor lawyer to help you with this. 
4. Remember that job search is a numbers game.  There’s something called the “Rule of 21″ in job search.  For every 21 contacts you make you’ll get one positive response (not necessarily an offer but perhaps an interview or request for more information).  This means you need to cast your net wide and call in any favors that might be due to you.
5. Don’t look for a good job, look for a good fit.  Many times people are let go because they don’t quite fit in.  It could have nothing to do with your capability and everything to do with the fact that you don’t go out for drinks after work with the rest of the crowd.  Interview the interviewers by asking questions that give you a feel for how good a match you are for the company and vice versa. 

TAGS: Job Search, job transitions, lay-offs, managing your career, termination