Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro
Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro helps employees think like their bosses and then managers think about their employees. It's a case study on a very specific and very extremely relevant case of empathy. I took notes by using my phone's dictation, so there may be spelling errors.
Outlined notes
Beware of signs of managing an employee out. It’s cheaper and safer that an employee quits than to be fired. If those signs occur, use the opportunity to interview for another job. The company’s reaction to your new job will validate if they were trying to manage you out or not.
HR Beware:
Never make a sexual harassment claim. Instead ask to move to another department for a positive reason like being excited to work on something you’re more passionate about than fleeing a harassing boss.
Don’t file a workers’ compensation claim.
Never complain to HR. Speak as if you’re talking to the CEO, because they have a say in your promotion.
Avoid looking young. How old you appear matters.
Enthusiastic suggestions must be respectful and mindful, lest they be taken as a threat or assumption that you know better. Before you say anything, think about how your framing makes your boss and anyone in the chain of command feel.
Never voice negativity. Always have a positive, unified front of public support for the company. Corporations aren’t democracies.
Concerns should be dealt with privately and positively.
Language to bring concerns to a key gatekeeper
“I’m sure this is something you already aware of but can I talk to you about concerns of surfaced for me?”
“I’m sure I don’t have the whole story, but I was wondering about some thing maybe you could shed some light on it for me?”
Gossip breeds distrust and makes you personally vulnerable. Loose lips sink careers.
Stop gossip whenever it reaches you…
“Wow I wouldn’t want anyone to say something like that about me.”
“I think the person you’re talking about would probably want that information kept private.”
Emails are for conveying information, not addressing issues. Address any sensitive issues in person when can gauge a reaction — emails, like texting, lack tone.
Treat it as a professional, formal, paperless memo.
Say nothing negative.
Write all emails with the thought that they will be seen by everyone in the company.
Throwback to when Arjun emailed the whole high school asking if i wanted to have a “play date” in freshman year.
If you receive a negative incendiary email —> delete it and reply to the person who sent it requesting that he not send you anything like that again.
Competition & friendships are a tough mix. Who you spend time with are your implied alliances. Companies judge guilt by association and if a friend develops a bad relationship with a key person, you can be sidelined.
Someone who is your friend today may not be tomorrow when their livelihood is on the line (disheartening but often true).
Many of the most successful ladder climbers are seen as loners. They are friendly and get along with everyone, but don’t hang around with any particular group and have no implied alliances to keep their social circle outside of their workplace. Those who steer clear of the employee friendship clicks tend to stand out from the crowd by appearing more dedicated, conscientious, and serious about their work. Leaders tend to be solitary. They don’t gravitate towards packs or go along with group mentalities.
Seperate-camp sydrome: “us” vs “them” mentalities between employees and managers. The camp you must aspire to must become the one you openly support and show respect for.
Refrain from discussing personal life (health, relationships, stress, etc)
If you must, tell only your boss and keep it short, professional, and discuss only what is absolutely necessary for optimal job functioning.
Let your boss know the approximate duration of the issue or absence, and how you predict it might affect the work schedule. Ask if there’s anything you can do to help things go more smoothly during this process.
Make sure they know you’re on top of it, are fine, and will handle whatever it is as quickly as possible.
Let people discover positive things in your life like a wedding, pregnancy, etc. on their own do not bring it up yourself. It’s not necessarily professional only talk about positive person events that reinforce the professional image you’re trying to create.
Personal phone calls should be in a private spot. Not at your desk, even during lunch.
In order to stay in the red, you have to continue to make the same mistakes. Companies have short term memories and employees can quickly readjust.
10% raise is a norm. Beyond that, include documented proof of value-created and a solid market justification (comparable externally)
Never ask for promotion. Naked ambition is bad because it shows you care more about status than what’s best for the company.
Prove it first by working above your current level.
Internal promotions are usually locked up, decided long before their offered publicly to the employees.
Document your successes for the next raise request. Volunteer extra work to showcase your talents. Offer extra help to key projects. Volunteer to help in other departments during critical deadlines. Take classes to learn skills needed for upper levels.
If you don’t get it, show you’re unscathed and keep a positive image.
Performance reviews aren’t about your performance, they’re about your bosses preferences
Have regular meetings with boss to find out their standards and priorities
Discuss their personal preferences, not your review
Manage your boss’s expectations and perceptions
Don’t make excuses or point fingers
Don’t tell your boss you’re already doing it… show her you’re doing it and if it’s not seen, focus on making it more visible
Don’t make it your boss’s fault. You have to work to her idiosyncrasies.
Manage reputation to be unscathed by rumors and petty politics. Your reputation is your life insurance policy for your career.
Defending yourself will just make the lie appear truer and make you look guiltier. Retaliation will only make you look worse or signaling to the offender that his or her tactics worked.
Your reaction will determine if the accusations are true or false in the perspective of your peers. If you hold your head high and laugh it off as a ludicrous rumor, others will tend to follow your lead.
If you’ve been given a new boss… offer your assistance in implementing any changes and create as easy transition as possible for him
Go in without lines of your teams current processes and procedures, go over each one, and make changes. Offer to help implement those changes with the group.
Give no advice, no opinions, only support.
Avoid negativity or personal opinions, stick with the facts and let your new boss draw his conclusions.
He can confide in you, but never the other way around
In a confrontation, as soon as you defend yourself, you’ve lose the battle.
Detached objectification. Calmly repeat their problems back (paraphrase). Do not react, defend, or get emotional yourself… which stops escalation.
If there’s a disconnect, stop the conversation and clarify you’re both on the same page.
With public humiliation, invite them to leave the room or building for further discussion.
Sometimes all it takes is a “ You’re absolutely right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry.”
Gracefully recovering from a mistake
Secretly covering up mistakes signals that you can’t be trusted.
Take ownership. Disclose it and take help. Express desire to take responsibility —> show’s you have the company’s best interest in mind.
Team leaders take responsibility, they don’t point fingers.
Vacation only one week at a time, preferably six months apart, and never more than two weeks at a time.
Book a vacation every six months to avoid burnout and to let your company appreciate you and your essential efforts
Work desk
Leave files and paper around during the day — use up most of the space on your desk. I put them away neatly at night.
Look at the types of things that your boss or your boss’s boss have in their office.
Only have books that reinforce your image, otherwise keep them hidden in the drawer.
Office romance
Avoid any and all open relationship behavior at work don’t share the good news with others.
If your manager who is in a relationship with the lower level employ, you must disclose it. Even if the person doesn’t report you or is in another department, you must tell your manager. He is the only one you tell.
If you are directly managing the person, you will need to ask for one of you to be transferred.
If you want, loyalty, give loyalty. Create ownership for yourself.
If they see you at 100% loyal, putting their interest first and protecting with the value, they will return in kind — not before.
Find out what your company’s desired public image is, what they want to project and reinforce the marketplace, and help them promote it. make sure all your dealings reflect that outside image. Cover for them. If they make a mistake or something goes wrong. Support them, don’t expose their mistakes. And he say she might lose an outside world and you take the sword for the companies image will be repaid to you 10 times over and their gratitude.
Two groups: those who work for the company and those who are the company.
Be a company cheerleader to become indispensable
Tell coworkers, bosses, vendors, and clients how much you enjoy working for the company and what you like about it. Bosses and executives love to hear they’ve created a work environment company or product that is generating a positive response.
Positivity may be unpopular with some employees, but it will make you stand out with those who count (the decision makers).
Decision makers at the top, or impressed with the ability to look down the line and put the company needs and take the initiative necessary to meet that need. This can also make you look and be a visionary leader.
When you notice change and then a company may not demand your specific role as much in the future, take the time in your off hours (lunch sessions, after work, etc) to go and learns entry skills from other departments
High–level organization. Organize and structure day for maximum productivity and visibility.
If your boss ask you for a status update, you should have an immediate answer and action status for him
Let your boss know that you are on top of it… If your boss brings up some thing that you forgot, then write it down and let them know that you will make it a top priority. Report back on the status.
Just like a waiter writing things down for an order exudes a sense of responsibility.
When people make a request, always respond with positive energy and a smile say you are happy to help and let them know how quickly you can get to it (even if you’re plate is full, let them know when you can make time for it).
Don’t fall off the corporate ladder
Ask people “ do you find you remember or relate better things you see or things you hear.”
do you present visually or auditory find out how to reach your audience. Memos, emails, graphs, charts, or spoken word.
Analogy: You are your own in-company business. Your vendors are your co-workers. Your clients are your boss. Vendors with high quality relationships have a deeper quality of work produced. Your paycheck is your client’s retainer for your services. They are your livelihood and referrals from which other business will come. The client is always right.
Act in service to those around you by putting yourself “in charge” of maintaining client/vendor relationships.
What would you like your in-company business to be know for?
leaders cannot afford to take a pessimistic view or situation, or look defeated for a moment.
Project optimism, even if you’re not an “optimist.”
Don’t be fooled by seemingly non-work environment. Anytime you are around anyone from work you are on stage.
Many internal promotions fell within the first year, and are either fired or demoted.
Look before you leap
Shifting alliances and relationships within the company. Employees eager to move up can forget to fully evaluate the opportunity before accepting it. Unlike accepting an external job offer where they have to think about a new company, culture, and people.
New position
Before accepting a “new position” look at all aspects in the dynamics of the organization and make sure you have 100% buying from all levels and get a clear idea of what everyone is expecting from the position to see if it’s realistic and has resources allocated that it will need.
Some companies offer these positions to internal candidates first to “try it out” before offering it to the open market as a viable opportunity
Hidden responsibilities
know your tolerance level for management “dirty work“ required at the higher levels, such as firing or holding people accountable. Make sure you know what’s expected in relation to what you’re honestly willing to do.
Taking a position that would make you manager of a group you’ve become friends with is never a good idea
Talk to people who currently hold/held the position
It’s easier to move up in a company then to move back down
How do you enter is more important than what you plan to accomplish.
Don’t come in with bold ideas. Offer your services to your gatekeepers — will put everyone at ease, opening the floodgates to inspire them to provide excellent service for you.
Build key alliance bases by going to heads of other departments.
(1)Offer your services.
(2) Are there any changes need to meet in your department to help theirs run more smoothly?
You’ll also be learning how your team fits in with other departments and the overall working for the company
By doing this exercise, you have a strong starting point for crafting your team’s goals and identifying the area to make your team’s effort shine above others
Inspire loyalty and service on your team
Meet personally with each member of your new team to ask how you can be of service to them and help improve their systems, workloads, and personal career goals.
Leaders concentrate on the ultimate goal and allow the team to find the best way achieving it while providing support along the way
There’s usually a productivity buffer zone for a team after a new promotion, where the company does not expect the highest level of production possible
You should be friendly, but you cannot be friends when you have power over their livelihood.
Trying to be like that’s not the mark of a leader; it’s the mark of diffidence.
Employees, respect leadership, and they are loyal if you create a relationship of trust and clear the way for them to be successful. Respect doesn’t come with the position it is earned
You can’t solve problems for your employees.
Advice is a sticky trap. If it goes south, the advisor is always the one to blame and leads to dependence on one person.
If you lead your employee to an answer for themself, they have both their instant buy-in & commitment, but also you are not the built-in excuse for their failure.
Just always ask the next question what have you considered so far? Which one is your top choice? Why? What do you think the effect will be?
Yearly performance reviews are not forgiving feedback.
Holding an employee accountable for behavior that has not been previously discussed is akin to a traffic cop giving you a ticket for parking where a no parking sign will be posted tomorrow.
Every time you surprise her employees, you breed distrust
Feedback in order to be effective and team-building should be casual specific and often. And positive and corrective.
nothing should go into a formal review that has not been previously brought two employees attention — good and bad.
any corrective feedback is always given privately in public. You always present a united front.
Praise in public; correct in private. Always.
publicly prays twice or three times for every one piece of private instructional feedback you give.
Your only job is to make expectations and consequences clear. No nagging no micromanaging no fuss.
Always focus on the situation not the employee
Two meetings: (1) to clarify expectations, and (2) to either congratulate or hold him accountable for his actions
Always give your employees the benefit of the doubt. Take the time to restate and re-clarify expectations and instructions
If it happens again, call them into your office. Tell them what the consequences will be if they choose not to do the right behavior. Document the meeting and the date so you have a record of your conversations and proof that you provided. Clear expectations. To make things clear make a follow up memo then the employee is on his own. If he does it again, the consequences are enacted.
Doing this, creates a reputation for fairness, giving them the benefit of the doubt the first time around, provide a clear directions and expectations, then giving them for responsibility for their actions
Leadership is not a pedestal, it is a foundation:
Your employees do not work for you, you work for them. You are not in power, you are in service.
Never allow yourself to think of your position as one of power or you will have lost the game.
“How’s it going? Do you have everything you need? Let me know if you need any support on the project. I’d be happy to help.”
They are the team, you are merely the coach. You organize the plays, you shout out when they’ve done a great job, you help them learn how to do things better, you give them peptalk before a big game.
Winning is everything. Be remembered well for good work practices and strong values. The company itself will become a reflection of you as you move higher. Principles and character or your foundation, and your best protection.
Interesting further readings from the appendix:
Questions are the answers by Mel Brodsky
success with a gentle art of verbal self-defense by Suzette Haden Elgin
Nice girls don’t get the corner office: 101 unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their careers by Lois Frankel
How to manage your boss by Christopher Hegarty
How to work for a jerk by Robert M Hochheiser
The fifth of discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization by Peter M Senge