From: Frank Swiatek
Re: Career Derailment
Dear Manager:
Why do careers of talented managers go "off the tracks"?
It's amazing how frequently it happens!
If you are a scientific, technical, or engineering professional who has been promoted
into a management position because...
- You had an initial strong track record
- You demonstrated strong commitment
- You are ambitious
- You are willing to sacrifice
- You have a "set of smarts"
...Then, this message is for you!
Managers with this profile are people who want to go on, are slated to go on, but for many of them, something happens along the way, which knocks them off their career tracks.
What happens along the way?
Here are a few examples of what I've seen:
- They begin to lose control of morale problems
- They begin to lose control of productivity problems
- They begin to lose control of operational issues
- They begin to lose valuable people
- They begin to lose control of deadline issues
- They begin to experience loss of credibility in their own organization
- They begin to lose control of their goals and objectives
What happens eventually to these fast-track managers?
- They are demoted
- They plateau and are given a lateral move (often disguised as an "opportunity"!)
- They are passed over for a promotion
- They are terminated
- They reluctantly resign
Don't let this happen to you!
"Analysis shows that job performance is linked to work-related communication patterns of technical professionals, so that high-performing individuals tend to have better interpersonal communication." - Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Why does this happen?
Based on my own experience and data that I have from research institutions, like The Center for Creative Leadership, 30 – 50% of managers derail because of the manager's inability to send the right messages to people in the organization. They are inept in messaging! They lack this interpersonal skill and it becomes a "fatal flaw".
Managers with this "fatal flaw" are described as:
- Insensitive
- Overly critical
- Aloof
- Demeaning
- Abusive
- Egotistical
- Devaluing
- Abrasive
- Bullying
- Disrespectful
- Arrogant
People who work with this type of manager often feel that they have been "thrown under the bus"; they feel that they have been "slammed"; they feel that they have gotten "dinged"; they feel that they have been "pounded on"; they feel that they have been "hammered"; and finally, they feel that they have been "hung out to dry".
(These are actual words from a series of focus groups that I recently conducted in a technical environment!)
"Technical professionals who have solely focused on honing their technical skills need to devote more energy to polishing their interpersonal skills." - San Diego Business Journal
NOW, THE GOOD NEWS!
The good news for managers is that derailment is largely preventable.
And that's why I wrote the e-book, "The Art of Professional Feedback – How to Send the Right Messages to Others".
My name is Frank Swiatek, CSP. I am a management and leadership consultant, speaker, and coach. I have conducted over 3200 messaging sessions for organizations throughout the United States and Canada.
You can get more of my background by going to www.fswiatek.com.
Much of my work is with scientific, technical, and engineering organizations or functions. I can confirm, from my own experience, that interpersonal issues, stemming from the messages that the manager sends, are a major reason for morale problems, productivity issues, and results issues.
"Intellectual knowledge and technical skills are no longer sufficient for success at work!" - Emotional Intelligence Works
HERE'S A SECRET!
Throughout your daily work life, you are engaged in feedback. You are sending and receiving messages all day long!
On a daily basis, you have organizational encounters with people where there is feedback on goals, progress, timetables, action plans, customer input, corrective actions, and behavior.
I refer to these encounters as feedback sessions - sessions where you are sending (and receiving) messages. Some feedback sessions are short and some are long. Some are informal and some are more formal (performance evaluations, market reviews, operational reviews, etc).
Each message that you deliver has the power to help or hurt. Each message can build trust or erode trust. Each message can build rapport or build tension. Each message can stimulate motivation or stimulate de-motivation.
I have discovered a secret that can make a huge difference in your professional life. If you "own" professional feedback skills, you will increase the effectiveness of all your communications exponentially.
Developing professional competency in feedback skills is a change agent that will positively influence every communication encounter that you have.
And that's the reason I wanted to give attention and focus to this all-important skill. Whether you're e-mailing, text messaging, voice messaging, speaking in front of a group, or engaged in one-to-one conversations, you can quickly improve in a big way!
Professional feedback skills are the core skills and the "tipping point" that can positively influence every one of your communication encounters. They give you the tools to connect with people throughout your organization.
Get this skill under your belt, and you will distinguish yourself in your organization and you will stand out from others who lack this skill.
And again, from my experience, you will be a breath of fresh air in your organization’s work climate.
"Many projects fail because technical professionals cannot communicate effectively" - Electronic Design
Here's an outline of the concepts, principles, and skills contained in this straightforward, on-target, no-nonsense e-book guide...
THE ART OF PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK
How to Send the Right Messages to Others!
An easy-to-read, nuts-and-bolts, downloadable e-book, for dramatically improving your messages while increasing productivity and results!
Topical Outline
- Master this rule and watch all your communications improve!
- How an improvement in your mental outlook can improve your messaging!
- Powerful guidelines to improve every feedback session!
- How to use feedback to cultivate the 4 power bases in your organization!
- How to set a climate of receptivity through an "Ask/Listen" approach!
- How to make recognition and appreciation meaningful and important!
- How your level of intensity can negatively affect a feedback session!
- How to eliminate defensiveness – the most damaging barrier in feedback!
- How to initiate constructive feedback in a valuing way!
- How to "pinpoint" behavior in a feedback session!
- How to use the "IDEAS" problem-solving model for a productive feedback session!
- How to use "The A-B-C's of Success" to manage your responses in a feedback session!
- How accountability increases the effectiveness of your messaging!
- How to avoid irritating words, phrases, and questions in a feedback session!
- How to avoid irritating listening habits in a feedback session!
- How to make powerful positive commitments in a feedback session!
- How to use the "Map of Reality" to improve empathy in a feedback session!
- How to propose ideas and initiatives in a non-threatening manner!
- How to use the skills of valuing and clarifying to improve your feedback sessions!
- How to disagree diplomatically in a feedback session!
- How to build to consensus in a feedback session!
So, how much will it cost you to discover these skills that will forever improve the messages that you send to others?
JUST $17.00!!!!
That's LESS than the cost of a decent lunch for two.
PLUS: Claim This FREE Bonus When You Purchase!
The Professional Manager's Instant Speech Creator
HOW TO BUILD AND DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE WITH MAGIC!
You can build your speeches and presentations faster than you ever thought possible!
You can improve your "messaging" in both small and large groups with these "insider secrets" from the world of professional speaking. You can rise from the "pile of poor speakers" that exist in organizations today.
I have earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) from the National Speaker's Association. It is the highest earned honor conferred through The International Federation of Professional Speaking.
The skills in the Instant Speech Creator are the same skills I use to coach executives in Fortune 500 companies.
This invaluable tool is based on my book "FIBER-MATIC Speaking" (See www.fswiatek.com). This step-by-step guide will guide you – through a series of questions – to build a compelling message in a very short period of time. There's no guessing about what to do or how to proceed. It's all written in a "1, 2, 3" format that you can use to prepare your speech or presentation with confidence!
Click here to download The Art of Professional Feedback and your free bonus!
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