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Job Abandons You

Q: My company was just sold. My whole job description
changed and my workload nearly doubled with no increase in
compensation. Our friendly culture is now snarly and
gnarly. I used to love coming to work and now I dread
Mondays. Should I quit?

A: Maybe. I say, if your mental and physical
health have not been compromised, hang on.

But effective immediately:

(1) Figure out the minimum work you can do in order to keep
your job and avoid harming anyone. Use the time to begin
searching for a new position.

If you're a teacher or health care worker, you can't
neglect your students, patients and/or clients. But you may
be able to avoid the extra projects. It's very much a
judgment call.

(2)Avoid discussing your dismay with coworkers.

Keep your plans private. During a time of change,
loyalties shift. People you trusted will be acting out of
fear. When asked to comment on the changes, say something
neutral and positive.

(3) Begin networking and actively job searching.

Post your resume only if you can do so anonymously. Never
use your company's email or phone for a job search (or for
consultations with your career coach). If the company
furnishes you with a cell phone, get an extra just for
yourself. Get a yahoo or google email account.

(4) Keep calm.

It's easy to panic and many of your coworkers will. Come
up with a mantra that makes sense for you, like, "I am a
marketable executive with many options."

If you can't come up with options or you're feeling that
"deer in the headlights" freeze, schedule a call with a
consultant or coach. Choose your confidantes carefully:
friends and family may not help.

(5) Add extra sessions of exercise, relaxation and fun.

In my experience, your mind will work more creatively
after a workout at the gym, a movie, and/or dinner with friends
and family who keep the conversation off your career.

And as soon as you ride out this crisis -- whether things
get better at your job or you land a new one -- you know
what I'm going to suggest. Get your Marketability Plan
together and take the first steps immediately.

Devil wears prada: an inadvertent lesson

I didn't expect to like the movie Devil Wears Prada. I read and reviewed the book but as you might expect, I'm a fan of indie films.

Sure enough, when I finally saw the DVD, I didn't like the movie, but not for the reasons I expected. Meryl Streep steals the show as the killer boss. But she comes across not as mean but as someone who's trying to put her assistant to the test. Anne Hathaway wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

No, the real problem was in the writing. Andrea (played by Hanne Hathaway) accepts the job as assistant to Miranda (played by Meryl Streep), killer editor of Runway magazine. Miranda is a destructive bully boss. Andrea is a brand-new journalism graduate who can't get a job on a "real" newspaper. Her boyfriend wants to be a chef.

Andrea takes the job. Coworker Nigel tells her to stop whining and start doing the job. When she does, she's pretty darn good. She anticipates Miranda's demands. She develops some fashion sense. She gets calls to drop everything and come to work. Her friends think she's nuts. They say things like, "You're not the same person."

Spoilers ahead. But it's not a big deal. This movie is Hollywood-predictable.

And then she gets a special plum assignment, bypassing another coworker. She feels guilty. She discovers Miranda's maneuvers will hurt the coworkers she likes. So she quits to go work for a newspaper. She goes back to her boyfriend. She says she wants to be her old self.

Cue the career consultant!

Sorry, folks: you really can't go home again. Andrea's different.

Maybe it's a killer job, but that's not the same as a dead-end job. Remember the Cathy Goodwin mantra. Think marketable.

Andrea was learning. She was making contacts that would be valuable. This story may be extreme, but when you're in a growth phase, you have to give up a lot of social contacts. Friends don't tell friends, "You're crazy to be doing this job."

Andrea had nothing to apologize for. She was smart to take a chance and to go all-out to give the fashion world a try. She won't be the same. She's learned too much.

Alas, the script's ending is old-style predictable Hollywood. Andrea gets to hold her head (and maybe her nose) and take a job with a newspaper. Do we really believe she'll find a selfless, apolitical group of coworkers there? Will she be shocked when she's chosen over a coworker for a plum reporting assignment?

Meryl Streep is just fine, but Parker Posey would have been a better Andrea. And I wish they'd hire a career consultant for some of these movies.

One Small Change in Conversation, One Giant Change In Your Game Plan

Mark Twain supposedly said, "Everybody talks about
the weather but nobody does anything about it."

But we can do a lot about time - in fact, we can
change our time management just by the way we talk
about it.

In my experience, there's one way you can tell when
people are seriously ready to make a move, i.e.,
start abusiness, accelerate their career, take a sabbatical.

They begin to talk about time as an investment.

You know change is in the air when you do these 3
things.

(1)Calculate your rate of return on your time
investment.

You find yourself saying, "This is not a good use of
my time." You might take time to relax and enjoy a
movie or family meal -- but your rate of return will
be high because you get meaningful (though intangible)
rewards.

(2) Assign a value to your time.

You find yourself saying, "If I hire someone to do
this, I'll come out ahead."

Or you think, "My company could automate this
process. Then each person wouldn't have to spend
hours, all doing the same thing over and over again."

Too materialistic? You can assign units of happiness
or meaning if you prefer.

(3)Focus on outcomes rather than process.

You're talking about results - not effort. You won't
mention working hard or putting in hours. You'll
talk about how you transformed a situation, earned
revenue or solved a problem.

And you probably charge your own clients a flat fee
rather than an hourly rate (and prefer to hire
resources
the same way).

If you're already talking this way, congratulations!
You're probably taking charge of your career and maybe
considering a business venture. You may be frustrated
with others who don't understand your new focus.

If not - no problem. Your value system may be
different. You may be in a different life phase. Or
you may be one of those who defy logic and still win
the game.

More: Visit

my irreverent time management guide.

Following a dream

Recently I talked to someone who said, "I hate my job."

"What would you do if you won the lottery?"

"I'd work in Europe." She didn't hesitate.

"So your real question is, 'How can I find a way to live
comfortably in Europe?'"

A few suggestions:

(1) Write down your dream every single day.

Some coaches recommend hanging a card in your office where
you can see it every day. Others suggest making a collage
around your dream -- a highly powerful technique.

(2) Google the web, testing different variations of the words.

"Work in Europe."
"Americans working in Europe."
"How can I get a job overseas."

(3) Broadcast your intentions.

Tell every single person you meet, "I am looking for ways to get
a job in Europe."

Don't listen to advice. Instead, listen for information, facts,
and experience. When a friend says, "I know someone who..." get the
name. Second-hand information can be misleading.

Turn away the nay-sayers
and wet blankets.

You'll be surprised at the responses. In my experience, the most helpful
tips will come from the least expected source.

New career? Read between the lines.

"There's going to be a shortage of managers in my field," Marilyn says, bouncing with optimism. "It was in tonight's paper..."

Hmm... Let's read between the lines. Will Marilyn's city experience the shortage? Are there unwritten rules about who gets hired? Will companies create incentives for their boomer retirees to remain? Or will they try to attract new hires?

And how long will this shortage last? Brad entered grad school when there were 5 openings for every new graduate in his field. Three years later, the ratio was 5 applicants for every opening.

Your challenge: Develop your unique opportunity forecast.

(1) Create your own research program.

The best career coaches and consultants advisors will give you tips on researching specific opportunities, not just raw advice.

(2) Invest resources to learn transferrable skills and become marketable within your own field. These days, marketabililty is the new security.

(3) Keep your Plan B handy.

Your Plan B might be as simple as a stash of cash or a willingness to work outside your field. You might take courses in entrepreneurship and internet marketing while you are still employed. See my ebook on money management for life transitions.

Finally, play to your strengths.

Avoid choosing a direction because "it's growing" or "there's a need." Square pegs just don't last long in round holes...and sometimes they get squashed when they try.

Right now we have a shortage of nurses and other health care professionals. But I've met nurses who deserted the field to become textbook sales reps and building managers. You'll find doctors running internet businesses and lawyers driving trucks.

Conversely, I keep meeting people whose interests and talents opened doors they would never have found if they just followed a play-it-safe strategy.

Finally, it's over: WNBA Finals

What a series! I watched every one of the WNBA final games.
Not as time-consuming as may appear: I watch everything on
DVR and fast-forwarded through all the commercial breaks.

As a long-time Diana Taurasi fan, I was thrilled to see
Phoenix take it away. I love the Mercury style and the way
they really seem to have fun with basketball. Of course it's
a job but they never forget it's a game, too.

Why did Phoenix win? They wanted it more. Even the Detroit
Shock said so, at the press conference. The coach said it.
The leading players said it.

From the beginning of the season, Diana Taurasi had that gleam
in her eye. This would be *their* year. They've got a strong
group of players. They've got a coach who knows how to win (and
who's being recruited for an NBA job - at age 68). So in a
sense it was now or never.

They lost Game 1, on their home turf. Oh well. Detroit is bigger.
They were champions last year.

They won Game 2 by 30 points.

They lost Game 3. Not by much.

They won Game 4. By ONE point. And a sheer grit.

They won Game 5 by a comfortable 16 points.

According to their reporter, the pre-game planning session was all
about fine-tuning the small stuff.

It worked. And now we get to move on to something else for the year!

The WNBA is not what it used to be. Women are getting more athletic
earlier. Sue Bird, a star point guard at UConn (she was two years ahead
of Diana Taurasi), said she never saw players like these when she was
in college. She's referring to 4 women on the USA team who have at least
one more year in college before turning pro.

Now, if they could just get decent coverage in the media...