by Jane Perdue | Character
We’re a people, a world, in love with numbers.
If it can’t be measured, the pundits say, it’s not worthwhile.
So, I have to give props to Klout for its sheer genius in playing into this love of numbers and formulating its influence scoring system.
How cool, some say, that there’s now a way to quantify online influence.
Fascinating how some individuals and companies raced to use klout scores for event invitations, advertising, social media ROI, job searches (really?), prestige, and self-esteem. Easy, but does it capture the whole picture? The truest essence? The heart of the matter?
From my perspective, a klout score is an arbitrary one-dimensional number that seeks to quantify something that’s qualitative.
I left corporate America because of the prevailing mindset that someone is only as good as their last set of numbers. I don’t believe everything about someone or something can be reduced to a single metric.
Some matters of the heart, the intuition, and the gut just can’t be quantified. Things like kindness or respect or collaboration.
If you’re like me, and have a love/hate relationship with klout and its algorithms, repeat after me: I am not a number.
I am not a number.
I won’t let a number determine my circle of contacts.
This heartless (IMHO) advice from “Klout expert” Amy Schmittaueron on how to improve your score gets a major thumbs down from me: “Make sure you’re engaging with people who have a relatively good to a higher Klout score. When you engage with people who have like no Klout or a really low score it’s reflects poorly on you.”
Come on!
Let’s not forget or ignore or discard the human factor here.
Go ahead on and let it “reflect poorly” on your score:
- Dare to share with an up-and-comer
- Boldly engage with someone who’s lonely and has few online connections
- Generously show some heart to those in need. It’s good for you and for them.
There not much soul in an algorithm.
I am not a number.
And I won’t treat you like you are one either.
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Character
Setting: Panel discussion presentation
Audience: Young (25 to 40 years old) professional organization
Topic: Finding a job in a tough market
Question posed to the panel: What’s your view on “revising” a job title to fit a job posting, meaning it’s OK to call yourself a director on a resume because you did what you believed to be director level work but didn’t hold that actual job title.
Most common answer: Not viewed as problem…just doing what’s necessary to get an interview where any discrepancies can be addressed – if they come up.
Oh, my!
To this former HR VP, trading credibility for an interview is a fool’s journey. While the temptation to stretch the facts (whether just a wee bit or a whole bunch) may be attractive when jobs are hard to come by and you’re feeling desperate, getting creative with the specifics of one’s work experience is a no-no.
Don’t sacrifice your integrity
Plain and simple, don’t do it.
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- Steer clear of the lure of jazzing up your resume in an untruthful way to make your background more attractive.
- Be thorough in defining and quantifying your contributions.
- Stick to the facts.
- Don’t manufacture titles and/or experience.
- Avoid creating awkward situations in which you are asked to explain the delta between the data you provided and what the record shows to be factual.
According to Hire Right, a firm that specializes in employee back ground checks: 80% of all resumes are misleading, 20% state fraudulent degrees, 30% show altered employment dates, 40% have inflated salary claims, 30% have inaccurate job descriptions, and 27% give falsified references.
This data may show that you may have lots of company in “reframing” your work history, but is that the kind of company you want to keep? Is that the reputation you want to have?
Where’s the harm in going with the flow to get ahead, one might ask. Losing your integrity is the harm. Your values are your rock, your compass, against which you measure what is important to you in life.
And, that’s how other people determine whether to trust you…or not.
Have you ever experienced someone lying to get a job?
Image source: morgueFile
by Jane Perdue | Character
Claire looked pale and drawn as she slid into the lunch booth, joining her work colleagues for their weekly Friday “lunch bunch.”
“Hey Claire, what’s up?” asked Patsy. “You’re not looking so good.”
“Patsy, I’m pretty freaked out. Remember that big project proposal report I did? The one about the new product line I was proposing? The one I was wondering about because my boss never mentioned it again after I turned it in? Now I know.” (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Character
The setting: a leadership workshop
Participants: 25 high potentials from a variety of companies
The topic: how leaders balance confidence and humility in context of Jim Collins’ level 5 leadership (“transformative executives possess a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will”)
The bottom line to this activity blew me away: only five people—a mere 20% of those participating—believed humility was an important leadership attribute.
Talk about things that me say “hmmmmmmmm!” (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Character
“I” is a tricky word.
At one end of the word use continuum, it conveys authenticity, caring and courage. I see you’ve been pre-occupied lately. If there’s something you’d like to talk about, I’m hear to listen.
“I” can draw people in.
At the other end, it’s grating, annoying, shamelessly egotistical, commanding and off-putting. You know that big client the boss has tried to secure for years and hasn’t? I figured out the problem, and I got him to sign with me.
“I” can push people away.
It’s your call.
As a leader, it’s up to you to decide if you want to pull people toward you and your ideas, or push them away.
10 Rules for Saying “I”
Use the pronoun “I” only when…
1) The idea you’re presenting is solely and completely your own, not one iota poached from anywhere or anyone. I’ve spent some time lately going over the problem with “xyz,” and I think I’ve found something. Want to talk it through with me?
2) You’re the one totally at fault and responsible for making amends. I made a total mess of this situation and want to make it right.
3) You want feedback on how you’re doing. I’m having a hard time figuring out this new software. Would you be willing to go over again with me?
4) You, and only you, did all the work…every single itty-bitty piece of it. Don’t want to sound like a glory-gabber, but I completed the research project ahead of schedule which freed up resources to do other things.
5) Your department made the mistake of the century. I failed to ask the right questions about what the customer wanted, gave incorrect instructions to my team, and am responsible for the mess.
6) You’re sharing your personal opinion, speaking exclusively for yourself. I think how we’re handling this is all wrong.
7) You’re listening and asking clarifying questions to help solve a problem. I hear you saying that you don’t want to follow that course of action and would love to hear your thoughts on why.
8) It’s one of those situations, like a job interview or requesting a raise, when tooting your horn (truthfully and sincerely, of course) is appropriate. I made several changes to the company’s recruiting practices that reduced our time to fill by sixty percent.
9) You’re sticking up for yourself, confidently making your position clear and perhaps sharing self-knowledge to do so. I want to be clear on this. That course of action will take us down the road to decreased sales and here’s why.
10) You want to let someone know how much they mean to you. I value you and respect what you do.
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Character
Thoughts on matters of time, civility, and character…
A prospective job candidate called a recruiter friend of mine and asked to change the agreed-upon location of their interview. The candidate also requested to meet at the downtown library. This new location was only a few blocks from a meeting that she was attending earlier in the morning.
Wanting to accommodate, the recruiter agreed to the new location even though it meant she had to drive 45 minutes longer to get there.
It’s the day of the interview. 11 AM is the scheduled interview time. The recruiter left her home at 9:45 AM.
The recruiter arrives at the library at 10:45 AM. She heads to the library meeting room and sets out her pad of paper and a pen.
Soon it’s 11:10, 11:15, then 11:20 AM. There’s no call or text message from the candidate.
The recruiter calls the candidate twice and gets voicemail both times. The clock continues ticking. 11:25, 11:30, 11:35 AM. Still no show, no call, no text.
The recruiter doesn’t know whether to be worried or annoyed. Has there been an accident? A mix-up in time? A change of heart about the job? She spends the time reading resumes and fretting.
It’s now 11:45 am, a full 45-minutes after the designated interview start time. The recruiter decides to leave. She calls the candidate to leave a message that she’s gone. Just as the candidate’s voicemail begins, in walks the candidate, sporting a coffee from a well-known coffee shop just down the street from the library.
“Sorry to be late. Traffic was worse than I expected, so of course I had to get some coffee to carry me through our meeting. I bumped into someone I used to work with who was getting a coffee, too. He’s going to help me with my job search,” breezily declared the candidate.
Sheesh, thinks the recruiter, neither a “hello” nor a smile accompany the pronouncement.
“Good morning, Leslie. I am surprised you’re this late. Since we moved the interview location to better mesh with your schedule, I’m a little confused about your time in the coffee shop and why you didn’t call.”
“Oh, gosh, that’s right. I’d forgotten about that. That meeting was cancelled a couple days ago. I figured I get downtown in 20 minutes but that guess was obviously wrong. You know how it is with traffic around here.”
As my friend told me later, she sure did know how it was—that the candidate had all the technical skills in the world but was sadly lacking in interpersonal abilities. The candidate failed to show awareness of her actions on others. Plus she failed to show respect or an appreciation of others’ time.
Pretty important attributes important in today’s relationship-centric times.
Guess who wasn’t offered the job?
We all get caught in traffic or the stuff going on in our heads (or on social media!), and time slips by. If no one is waiting for you, losing track of time is fine. However, when someone else in involved in your time equation, then it’s another story. It’s not all about you any more. Then it’s time for a little kindness, a little respect, a little civility.
All those delightful salves that keep interpersonal contacts well-oiled and tell the world what your character really is.
Is your character story a good one?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
