Tuesday, July 28, 2015
by julie
Most job descriptions in today’s market list “influencing without authority” as a requirement to be successful in a role. The ability to positively influence people in such a way that others follow and act willingly is a key skill regardless of title within an organization. Both an art and a key business asset, influence is essential in all aspects of life, and constantly at play in the workplace.
Outlined below are several approaches to influence without authority – both a “pull” approach and a “push” approach to influencing.
Pull Approach
· Future-Oriented – looking ahead to solve problems or resolve issues. People might say, “How can we do this?” or “How would that turn out?”
· Intuition – this is normally a reaction to non-verbal communication from the receiver. “You do not look happy with that…” or “You look uncomfortable…” are examples.
· Drawing Out – asking a question and “rewarding” the receiver with a response. For example, “That is interesting. Can you help me understand?”
· Support – An empathetic response to someone’s situation: “I heard that you are losing more people. I understand exactly how rough that is….”
Push Approach
· Self-Disclosure – essentially me-oriented and will contain expressions such as, “My experience shows that…”
· Evaluation – also me-focused. For example, people using it will say, “That is good!” or “That is bad!”
· Logic – meaning my logic. People using it will say things such as, “Surely you can see the logic,” or “It is obvious what is happening here…”
· Past Oriented – this is a backward-facing method that is not effective when influencing behaviors yet to take place. For example, a person may say, “and another thing, last month…”
There are other variables to consider when “influencing without authority” like resistance to change, different social styles or how someone receives information, emotions, or sequencing of your talking points as examples. You need to observe the situation and your audience, and leverage multiple techniques to achieve your goal. Be mindful and carefully think through your action plan.
Together, we can influence your career by establishing a road map and action plan. Lets start today!!
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Tuesday, July 21, 2015
by julie
Here are our most recent placements. It has a been a great month so far! We are proud to work with so many great companies and to deliver top candiates and talent.
- Hr Business Partner – Labor within a Multi-site healthcare organization in Connecticut. Salary is $105,000
- Controller within a regional CPA firm in Connecticut. Salary is $85,000.
- Director of Human Resources within an established, profitable and expanding multi-plant manufacturer with 30% of revenues from international customers.
- Accounting Manager within a leadingengineering and professional design services consulting firm in Connecticut. Salary is $85,000.00.
- Sr. Marketing Manager within a division of a multi-billion dollar global parent company with products related to health and nutrition in Connecticut. Salary is $160,000 plus sign-on and bonus.
- Accounting Specialist within a regional CPA firm in Connecticut. Salary is $100,000.
- Marketing Controller within a consumer products division of a global leader in Connecticut. Salary is $125,000 plus bonus.
- Chief Financial Officer within a $200M privately held multi-entity, multi-divisional company.Salary is $300,000 plus bonus package of 50-100% of base.
- Senior Accounting Analyst within an expanding global financial services business. Salary is $85,000 with a $5,000 sign on and bonus.
- Manager, Financial Reporting & Compliance within a pre-IPO medical device company growing rapidly through the success of innovative new products and market expansion. Salary is $110,000 plus bonus and equity.
- HR Generalist within a Internationally recognized consumer products company in Ohio. Salary is $75,000.
- Director of Operations within a local manufacturer with a global presence that is known for their product innovation and manufacturing capability. Salary is $130,000 with a bonus plan.
- VP, Credit Officer within a leading global financial services company in New York City. Salary is $140,000 plus sign on bonus.
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Monday, July 20, 2015
by julie
As advisors to both clients on the acquisition of talent and talent on career guidance, B&B is constantly measuring the stimuli for why career professionals seek and the reasons why accepting new employment. We call it the "Push Factor" and the "Pull Factor". To measure current trends, we recently looked at the last 100 hundred senior staff to executive level talent that B&B placed in accounting, banking, customer support, engineering, general management, human resources, IT, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and supply chain. Compensation packages ranged from $75,000 to $1+ million.
Primary reason for changing employment:
#1 Not challenged enough in current setting; wanted a more impactful role to develop and showcase skills and abilities (43%)
#2 Wanted to be aligned with a company with a brighter future and more committed to growth (28%)
#3 Sought a company with better culture and leadership (17%)
Noteworthy was that 5% wanted to be closer to home, 4% were unemployed or underemployed, 2% want to gain global experience and 1% listed compensation as #1 driver.
Primary reason for accepting new employment:
#1 Opportunity to contribute in a more meaningful role (35%)
#2 Identified with leadership and culture (24%)a
#3 Felt business and/or business model was more aligned to their interests (22%)
#4 Upside potential was excellent (15%)
3% moved for compensation and 1% accepted because closer to home.
In the 2008-2011 period job security was #1 reason for looking and accepting new employment. Today, the ability to contribute, leadership, business model and career growth are the key stimuli.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
by julie
In any organization, you need to rely on others to complete tasks and accomplish the goals of the organization.
Building strong internal, operational networks with cross-functional peers will help you gain cooperation of others to achieve tasks, sell ideas, and gain resources. But first you need to build strategic relationships with peers. Outlined below are tips to create win/win peer relationships.
1. Don’t act or be siloed. Share information, ask for your peers’ input, and look for ways to collaborate and solve company-wide problems.
2. Get to know your peers by asking them open-ended questions that demonstrate your interest and willingness to help.
3. Defend your peers behind their backs.
4. Don’t try to compete with your peers. Go out of your way to give them credit and point out their strengths and accomplishments.
5. Pay attention to your peers at meetings – listen and incorporate their suggestions into your recommendations.
6. Build trust with peers by conducting regular group meetings to share information and touch base.
7. Form peer coaching relationships with your peers. Commit to learn from each other.
Drawn from the thoughts of Dan McCarthy’s website, Great leadership, and from Scott Eblin, author of The Next Level.
Bohan & Bradstreet can help you build an external network and create a win/win career plan. Reach out to us to start the process!
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Wednesday, July 1, 2015
by julie
What makes a great business presentation? Everyone has an opinion, but for us, a relatable story is the best way to resonate or make a connection with an audience – big or small.
Stories allow people to disseminate information that can be digested while also allowing one to build a relationship. Stories can be used to illustrate your vision or value system, and stories can help create trust among an audience, inspire an audience, and/or make people take action. Telling a personal story can make you relatable and demonstrate emotions that impact the audience and how they may view you as a leader.
How do you make a story impactful?
The Ariel Group, an international training and coaching firm for business professionals, has documented storytelling best practices when communicating in a business environment:
- Re-experiencing the event (e.g., by using present tense)
- Using descriptive/sensory language (sound, sight, taste, smell, feeling)
- Keeping it simple (e.g., by using bullet phrases and few “ands”)
- Emphasizing emotional content
- Playing different roles in the story
- Using vocal variety and body language
In The Leadership Engine, Noel Tichy suggests conveying leaders’ hard-won experiences through stories. Tichy makes sure that the point of every story is shared unambiguously – what he calls having a “teachable point of view”.
Take a moment to reflect back on your past experiences. How can you translate your experience into stories that build trust, inspire an audience, and/or drive people to take action? As with any presentation, practice your storytelling until you perfect the delivery and ultimately the impact.
Bohan & Bradstreet can introduce you to an audience that may propel your career. Contact us when you’re ready to share your story.
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