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We’ve been writing without interruption since 2007. Time and newer posts have buried some of the best stories and condemned them to oblivion.

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How to Change Organizational and Corporate Culture

by Fernando on December 7, 2011

Your organizational culture comes from years of interactions between the participants of the organization, where most of them are already gone and what lives is their myth and the interpretation of that mythology that current employees make of it.

Every organization has a foundational myth. The myth that tells the story of how the “founding fathers” devised and created something that endured through the years.

Sometimes their mission still holds true, sometimes its changed to something they wouldn’t even recognize. Big socio-economic changes, mergers and labor disputes all have the potential to take an organization’s culture to hell.

Changing organizational culture is one of the most daunting tasks you’ll ever endure. It takes time, lots of follow up work and cooperation across the board (which is not usually easy to obtain).

When you attempt to change culture, you are attempting to change a paradigm.

The three cultures

Let me debunk your first preconception. Your company doesn’t have an organizational culture: it has 3.

Surfing the Mediocrity Wave

by Fernando on October 12, 2011

You’ve just experienced your first “Oh, gosh!” moment. You realized that most people around you slack off, have no desire to thrive or go above and beyond and you start feeling like Eleanor Rigby on friends’ day (I know you don’t have that day in your calendar unless you live in South America; you should; mark it, July 30th).

Realizing that for the time being you are stuck in an uninspiring environment can be a motivation killer, a reason to gear down or an excellent opportunity to kick ass -professionally speaking, don’t go about cracking coworker skulls. Career gurus say it’s not advisable, and you could end up in jail-.

The Ultimate Career Advice to Navigate the Corporate World – Part 2

by Fernando on July 13, 2011

PART 2: BECOMING A FAMILIAR FACE, EARNING PEOPLE’S TRUST AND TURNING THE ENVIRONMENT TO YOUR FAVOR

Previously on Lost… I mean, Part 1: we took on the challenge of making a successful first impression, understanding your “multiple personalities” -note the quotation marks- and the first steps you need to take to nurture interpersonal interactions in the workplace so you can be perceived as someone who stands out of the crowd… now onto Part 2.

The Ultimate Career Advice to Navigate the Corporate World – Part 1

by Fernando on July 6, 2011

A reader, who asked me not to disclose his name -we”ll call him Bono, just because he is Irish- asked me if I had to give just one piece of advice, which would be the one. It didn’t take me long to figure out the answer. Problem is that this one piece of advice is actually not a tip or piece of advice but a philosophy of work. It’s the way I nurture interpersonal interactions at the workplace. Through this philosophy I’ve managed to build meaningful and long lasting relationships that some times transcend the work environment. This way of looking at things has also paved the road for me to get promotions and even the opportunity to turn some of them down, which is kind of like a luxury.

When I started writing this post I never expected it to become a 1800 word story. That’s why I decided to make it a two part post.

The topics I’ll be covering are:

- What to do when you first meet someone to make the relationship an instant hit
- What to do during the first days at the job to become a familiar and trusted face
- What to do once you are established in your role in order to maintain your earned status and turn the environment to your favor

Speeches and Presentations: Overcome Stage Fright

by Fernando on April 20, 2011

When I was 7 my second grade class was given the mission of playing “The Discovery of America”. We had to dress like aborigines, Spaniards and the main character, Christopher Columbus. I remember energetically refusing to participate in the play firstly because I did not like to disguise -which could be very well related to my former fear of clowns- and secondly because I would’ve had to step up to the stage and play a character in front of hundreds of people, including my parents.

I ended up being the narrator of the story, from a very convenient position below the stage and away from all those “menacing” gazes.

For a long time I thought that what made me reject a role in the play was the feeling that it was embarrassing to be in a costume. Today I know that it was just the opposite: I was afraid to be embarrassed in front of the crowd.

How To Deal With Stress at Work

by Fernando on April 13, 2011

Is your boss stressing you out? Don’t you get along with your co-workers? Is your desk overflowing with stacked paperwork? Do you hate your job? Recognizing if what’s stressing you out is transitory or permanent is the first step to cope with stress. The second one, is reading what comes next.

New Managers: This is Your First Assignment

by Fernando on April 6, 2011

An year ago I wrote about the Golden Rule for New Managers, which is basically, wait before you jump into action.

Assuming you’ve read that post (I’ll wait till you come back), the next most important thing you need to do is get your hands dirty.

By this I don’t mean that you should go and clean toilets to prove anything to your subordinates. After the “golden rule”, the second-most important thing you need to do is meet your team and let them teach you.

Wait, shouldn’t you be the one telling them what to do? Not yet.

Putting Everything in Perspective

by Fernando on December 23, 2010

We spend years of our lives feeling overwhelmed by the puny events that take place in it, worrying about problems at work, yesterday’s argument with your wife or the piling bills on the kitchen table.

Puny?! Who said they were puny?

Oh… I did?

Well… I meant puny within the greater scheme of things.

We live our short existence trapped in this organic and perennial carcass only gifted with our “evolved(?!)” minds -which most times are the source of our sorrows-.

When was the last time you took a step back to put things in perspective. How far back did you go?

If you ever need time off from your present, either because your own reality has overloaded you or you simply have the time to do it, take this mental tour to the perspective-most point known to mankind:

Do Employers Seek Employees With High IQ?

by Fernando on November 10, 2010

If you are waiting for a 600 hundred word post to get the answer I’m sorry to disappoint you: the answer is it depends.

Put yourself in the shoes of an employer: Would you prefer a mindless zombie or a highly talented person? The answer is obvious. But, what if you were looking for a person to work at an iPod assembly line? The job would consist in grabbing iPods, sticking them in a box and closing the box… next iPod. Why would you need someone with an IQ of 140 to do that job? If for any reason that person gets hired, I give him or her 2 days in the factory.

Thing is, every job has different requirements. Hiring an intellectually adequate fit for each job is something most recruiters and hiring managers keep in mind. HR people have a saying “right job for the right person, right person for the right job”. Taking someone who is not a good fit for a given position may put you back in employee-seeker world too soon. Some could challenge this, arguing that sometimes you hire an over-qualified candidate because he/she seems like a good prospect for the company; and this is a valid point. There’s an element of gambling in every recruitment process but if the company has a clear idea of where it wants to develop this person to, hiring an over-qualified candidate may be the way to go. It’s tricky.

Preventing Professional Amnesia

by Fernando on October 11, 2010

During tough economic times like the one we are going through (I’m not talking to you, Brasil) getting the job you want or deserve might not be an option. Instead, you may have to settle for an underpaid job, under-qualified position, take a step down from your last job or in the worst case scenario, be unemployed.

If you find yourself in any of the aforementioned groups for an extended period of time, staying current with your career and professional skills can become a difficult task… or even worse, you may forget you are a professional. Being a fish that spends too much time outside of the water can lead you to believe you are a panda.

Careers: Climbing Up The Ladder Lightning Fast

by Fernando on September 1, 2010

Keeping a job for 30,40 years or until retirement was commonplace until a decade ago. But as Generation Y seizes the scene, this way of making career is facing extinction. As opposed to Gen X and Baby Boomers, Gen Y chooses vertiginous -and sometimes unstable employment- change, to slow and ...

Recruiting: Fresh Graduates vs. Seasoned Candidates

by Fernando on July 20, 2010

You are out of college. You may have little to no work experience in your field. What would make employers hire you instead of a seasoned applicant? And vice-versa. I remember when I was still at college, trying to find my first job in the field. I had lots of ...

Interviews: 10 Common Questions; And What You Should Not Say

by Fernando on June 28, 2010

Weeks ago, Primer Magazine published “The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions And The Reasons You Should Not Use Them” (link). New England Job Show‘s editor, Jackie Simmonds, challenged me to flip the article around and orient it towards Job Seekers instead of Managers and Recruiters. My response to Jackie’s ...

Guest Post on Primer Magazine: The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions And The Reasons You Should Not Use Them

by Fernando on June 14, 2010

I haven’t been posting on a regular basis lately. Here’s my excuse: too much work. Thankfully, the three-day inspection from the Department of Health is over so my available time to write has significantly increased (while my stress levels have tremendously decreased . Last week, Primer Magazine published my article ...

The Risk of Using Money as a Motivational Tool

by Fernando on May 28, 2010

Managers, educators, parents and politicians are always looking for ways to motivate people. That’s why when companies want employees to do something unpleasant or difficult they offer bonuses and other financial incentives. The most common practice to motivate people, also the easiest way to do it, is putting money in ...

Small Business: Becoming the Hub of Your Community and Building Customer Loyalty

by Fernando on May 12, 2010

Building a loyal customer base is difficult when there are too many businesses competing for the same market. This is especially true for small businesses. Whether you own a dry cleaning shop, a hair saloon, a boutique, sell pizza, clothing or electronics to name a few, you know that out ...

Deciding Your Professional Career: Not a Matter of Life or Death

by Fernando on April 16, 2010

You are 17 and already thinking about what to do in college and where. Clap! Clap! You belong to a statistical minority. Deciding what to do for the rest of your life can be a bit overwhelming, specially during a time when your main and most pressing concern is deciding ...