Sitting here reading the 11-22-2009 Sunday Seattle Times, I ran across an article in the NWJobs section. A reader wrote that he wants to know how to respond to questions about why he has had 10 jobs in 12 years (because of the description of the jobs he held, I assume it’s a he) . He wants to deflect those questions and stress what he can do for the company and he wants advice on how to do that.

If I am an employer, and I see that TEN organizations have taken a chance on this guy and ALL have lost because he left in about year, why would I want to waste the time, money and energy to hire him? I also have to wonder about the companies. Somebody keeps hiring him. The questin is why, when he works an average of 1.2 years per company.

When the question about the multiple jobs comes up, the author of the column says to ask the perspective employer, point blank, “What is it that concerns you?”. Well, gee, maybe its the fact that the guy has had 10 jobs in 12 years? With a record like that, what could he possibly say that would convince me to consider hiring him?

The applicant says “The jobs have been at bigger companies where it is hard to advance. Now I’m looking for a job with a smaller company.” Say what!?

I have to sympathize with the author. A question like that is tough to answer. Tough, in my opnion, because someone needs to tell this guy that the companies he worked for did not cause this record. He did. The problem is with him, not the employer. Until he figures that out, things are not going to change. The author of the column is not going to tell him that in print, but I’ll bet the author the best drink at Starbucks that’s what he wanted to say!

Why would anyone want to supervise others? You get the nasty jobs…such as having to take corrective action, firing people, telling people “no” when you would rather say “yes”, work long hours with little thanks.

Well, because if you are really good at your job, the tremendous personal satisfaction you will have in being what I call a respected “class act” leader will keep you coming to work every day. There are a lot of people in supervisory roles today that should not be there. They are still out there, causing long-term damage to organizations. You have probably met some of them. They cause unions. They cause turnover. They cause morale problems. They should be anywhere but in a leadership role.

They come and go and few remember names. Class act leaders are remembered forever. I remember the class act leaders in my career. You probably do too. It’s not easy being that class act leader. It’s easy to be just another supervisor, so the choice is yours.

My question to you is simple…“Which one do you want to be?” Believe me, if you want to be successful, you will have to understand that it will take courage to survive and thrive. Just being a “nice person” or “liking people” is not going to make you successful.

Successful leaders do not get there by accident. They work hard at it. They build a solid reputation of One of the things they do is build and maintain an image. Image? So what’s an image got to do with being a quality supervisor?

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING!

To be successful you have to build a solid reputation as someone who gets the job done. You work the hours it takes. You are getting noticed. Good for you! While you are building that reputation, what else do you need to be doing?

You need to be building a visual image.

There are two parts to an image:

1. The one you have already built and that’s the reputation for getting things done.
2. The second part is the visual image. It’s as important as the first part.

Visual image is made up of three sub parts:

1. What you say
2. Your body language
3. Your appearance

If you use crude language or you are sarcastic to others, you are shooting yourself in the foot. You have to be very careful how your verbal messages are received. A manual published years ago by BNA Communications titled: Intent vs. Impact could apply here. This is very important. Be sure everything you say goes through a filter in your brain that looks at the impact of what you say before you say it.
Listen to gossip, but never contribute your own. You represent the organization. What you say is taken very seriously by others.

Your Body Language

What is the first thing you see when you look at most successful, well thought of people? It’s the visual image. That visual image can be very compelling. You also need to understand that those people know exactly what kind of image they are projecting. It didn’t just happen. They work very hard at perfecting that image. They stand straight. They do not slouch. They make visual contact with the person they are talking with. They look like they never have a bad day. You feel they are genuinely glad to see you. They listen to what you are saying. They are not looking at their BlackBerry while you are talking.
What’s your body language saying?

Your Appearance

The third part of the visual image is physical. Are your clothes neat, clean and business appropriate? Does your right heel look like you are a cross-country truck driver? When was the last time you shined your shoes? I remember one department head that always seem to have a spot on a suit she wore. The bet was how long it would take before she had it cleaned. Little things, but they are noticed. Earrings and other accessories (this thought is likely to irritate a few people, but it is the reality of the workplace). You have to remember that the people who hold your future in their hands are likely a generation or more older than you are. They are not apt to think like you do. You have to think like they do.

Six earrings in each ear, a pierced nose or eyebrow are not positive attributes. You will lose points. Are you always wearing a Raiders or Seahawks T-shirt, are your Levi’s needing an upgrade, are you still wearing those black and white tennis shoes? Remember, you will lose points.

So think about this. What’s your image? Be honest ……………… cause people are watching!

I have a problem. When I am not writing about leadership topics, I provide consulting services to senior management and do selected senior management searches in a variety of areas. Again and again when I sit down with these executives to get details regarding a position they want to fill, I get one message loud and clear. They do not want to see any candidates that only stay in a job for a year or so and then move on. Yet, when I network for candidates, I see many, many resumes with just that kind of short term job history. One short term move, or maybe two, in this economy may have real valid reasons. But when I see several such short term stays, I put them in the discard pile because the employer has specifically said they don’t want to see them.

I have a variety of questions ….. Did they wear out their welcome and leave? Were they asked to leave? How can an indiviudal make a quality mark on an organization when they have hardly had time to know the people in the organization? In my book “Surviving & Thriving in the HR World”, I write about leaders becoming “Class Act” leaders. You know them. The people who stick in our memory as the kind of leader we would do anything for. Who is going to become a “Class Act” leader in a year on the job? In 40 years of being a people watcher, I have never seen one become that kind of leader in a year or two.

How about it? I need some input.