The Peter Principle Revisited

Do any of these comments sound familiar? Have you said them about someone? Have they been said about you?

“I’m working with a number of managers who just don’t have the right stuff to get the job done. With one of them, I’m trying to tell him how to manage his people and he just can’t get it. Ever heard of the Peter Principle? Well he’s the poster child for that concept.”

“They hired me to bring new skills and knowledge to this place. My boss doesn’t know anything about how to deliver on this project. She can’t teach me anything. So why doesn’t she just get out the way and let me do my job?”

“I got promoted because I am good. I know how to do this project but I can’t get my team to do what I want. We have meetings and I tell them what I want to have done until I’m blue in the face. They have a bunch of excuses as to why we can’t get it done. I’m so tired of the “we just don’t do it that way or we tried that before” excuses I could scream.”

In 1969 a Canadian research named Dr. Laurence Peter popularized the idea called the Peter Principle. The Peter Principle says people tend to rise in an organization to the “level of their incompetence”. Smart, talented people continue to get promoted until they become progressively less-effective. You see just because you’ve been successful before doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in the future. In fact, 12 years of research has shown that about 50% of newly hired or promoted executives fail within the first 18 months. Another 14% fail to meet the performance expectations of their managers.

Why does this happen? Our mind likes to look for clues that tell us what to do. These cues or patterns are based upon past successes. Without guided reflection, we continue to look for clues, pattern recognition until they no longer deliver success. Whereas in 1969 we thought you couldn’t learn or adapt past a certain point, today we know growth is a matter of choice.

Helping managers avoid the Peter Principle means changing your attitude and recognizing your limits not theirs. Here are three things for you to consider.

1)    Ever say “that’s just common sense”? I was speaking with a Director of Operations recently. He was convinced several members of his staff had reached their highest potential.  He described them as “having no common sense”. Common sense comes from a mixture of wisdom, shared experiences and guided reflection. Without any one of these ingredients there is no “common sense”.  Most companies have eliminated people development or use it only as a perk. Yet, our brain tricks us into thinking our experiences are shared by all. Without guided reflection, it is difficult to create a common view based upon shared experiences – the definition of “common sense”.

2)    Check your trustworthiness. We learn to trust based upon ones actions. We follow those we trust. What do your actions say to others? Do people believe in your and your ability?

3)    Handle the “me” issues first. I wish I had coined the term “me issues” but alas I did not. “Me “ issues” simply mean “my concerns and needs.  When I know my needs are met then I can respond to yours. As long as I have to worry about my needs and don’t believe you will I’ll always withhold and be skeptical of your motives.

If you work with someone whom you believe embodies the Peter Principle change your view and tactics.  Create a shared point of view; build trust and handle the “me” issues and you’ll see the Peter Principle vanish.

Is Sarah Palin a Poster Child for Success?

This week Sarah Palin’s books hit the market and talk about a fanfare! Whether you love her or hate her (and there are few who are in the middle) you have to admit she makes us all take a deep breath and ponder what does success means today.

On the one hand, she has a following in conservative groups because she says what they’re thinking and stands up to the “liberal media and liberal agenda”.  Political movers and shakers in the Republican Party are all aghast that she just won’t go away quietly.  And her book, which sounds like a tell all on the makings of a presidential candidate, is causing a firestorm of conversations.

So what are the lessons on success we can learn when you step out of the emotionalism surrounding her? Who really defines what is successful – the public, leaders in an organization or the person? After years of research we know success is defined by the individual.  So…What are the possibilities for Mrs. Palin’s future job success?

a)      Everyone is asking, “Is she preparing to mount a bid to be the 2012 Presidential candidate for the Republican Party”.  Since Mrs. Palin went “rouge” it is clear that she has bigger aspirations than to be the governor of Alaska, a mother, a wife and a moose hunter.  Being President is just one goal but there are a lot of others for her to consider.

b)      There are people who think she’s looking at a possible talk show, movie deal or news commentary position in her future or

c)       Of course she could be looking to form a “Mavericks R Us or Going Rouge” coalition with people who believe she’s just right on a number of issues that no one wants to talk about. Issues like, Levi Johnston is simply being used and selling tantalizing photos of his body is wrong, government spending that leads to high deficits is wrong, expecting politicians to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

The truth is no one knows how she defines or measures success but she has all the hallmarks of one who will be successful.

1)      Passion- no matter what you think of her politics Sarah Palin is passionate about stirring the pot and influencing politics. She has consistently demonstrated excitement, drive and stick-to-it-ness in spite of popular opinion.  All the signs of someone who’s passionately believes in their purpose and competence.

2)      Purpose – We may not know for sure what she believes is her purpose but one thing is clear she does believe that our political system needs a shake up and she’s the woman to do the shaking.

3)      Decisive – The Republican Party (and for that matter every other party) is split and non-functional. Before you jump down my throat just take a look at the last mid-term elections. In spite of record turnouts for the Presidential elections voters were disenchanted and simply not engaged with the November elections.  The spirited debates, the call to action and the interest in the candidates was missing in action folks. That’s an opportunity for someone who can electrify the populist.  And she sees the opportunity and is willing to go after it.

4)      A Plan – We may not know it but it looks like she knows where she’s going and is flexible enough to capitalize on whatever comes her way.

5)      Lastly, her execution appears efficient and (at least for right now) effective. Time will tell whether she’s good at execution. However one thing is for sure. The final judgment on how well she executes is determined by Sarah Palin not us. Only she can say whether, in the end, she achieved her goals. Just look at Al Gore. One door closed for him and he opened another and today by his own admission is happy, following his passion and making money doing it.

Hmmm?!? Given what we know about success, I’d say this lady has what it takes.

So what’s my purpose?

“Clarity is the antidote to anxiety and therefore clarity is the preoccupation of the effective leader”. Marcus Buckingham
Most of my readers know in addition to being a coach I am a public speaker. My latest speech is entitled “Managing Your Career in a World of Chaos”. During the presentation I spend time engaging my audiences in what is driving the changes that are making it more difficult to live a great career and the 5 things they can do better manage their career. Although I’ve received great reviews one lingering questions keeps popping up on the review sheets. “How do I find clarity on my purpose and my passion?”
Most of us don’t think too deeply about these questions because on the surface it seems like a fairly easy question to answer. We often think our purpose is to serve others. But who should we serve, what do we have to offer and how would we know we’re doing well? If you can’t answer these questions then spend a little time reflecting on what are you passionate about and are you living the best life you can.
Decide Who You Serve
If you’re in direct contact with a paying customer it pretty easy to see who you are serving. But what if you’re not in direct contact with a paying customer and your goal is to lead a healthy balanced life. Leading a healthy balanced life means you put as much emphasis and concern on your home life and taking care of yourself as you do attending to work. Deciding who you serve starts by listing everyone you serve now. The simple process of making a list is so enlightening. Do it and you’ll discover who you are serving people, not serving, shouldn’t serve and are under serving.
Measure in terms of outcomes
Once you have the list now how do you measure success? There’s a difference between measuring activities and measuring outcomes. So what are outcome measurements? The best example I can give you is The Delancey Street Foundation. I used to live in San Francisco and worked for the Gap, Inc. Gap’s headquarter was located near the Delancey Street Foundation a place where criminals live and work together. Most residents are labeled “psychopaths”. Delancey Street is run by Dr. Mimi Silbert a 95 pound, four foot eleven inches woman and is the only non-offender in the place. That’s right the felons run the place themselves without guards or supervisors. Nearly 60% of the people who enter the program make it though and sustain productive lives on the outside. Contrast her results with that of our prison system which has 67.5% rearrested within 3 years. I heard Dr. Silbert tell corporate executives this; “You often tell your people what you measure gets better. And yet you allow them to just measure the process instead of the outcomes you want to achieve.” What would change if success was defined by what outcomes were achieved versus how many activities we’re involved in doing well? What if the prison system didn’t measure the number of prisoners who didn’t escape but the number of prisoners who didn’t return?” What would change in how we build and hold prison authorities accountable?” That comment has stuck with me for 10 years.
So to you I ask what outcomes do you want in your life? What would change if you focused on outcomes instead of activities? For everyone on your list decide on what outcome you want to achieve and see what changes.

A Courageous Woman’s Journey

This blog has a two-fold purpose. One is to invite you to a relaxing and empowering weekend retreat for women. The retreat will be Saturday, October 17 10:00 – 6:00 and Sunday, October 18 from 8:00 a.m. – noon. In this wonderfully relaxing and inspiring weekend retreat, Donáh Ollila and I will give you tools to thrive during times of uncertainty and change. We’re two experts on stress, health, and human potential drawing from latest research and personal insights to help you become more resilient. Everyone finds periods in their life where you feel “stuck”.  Both Donáh and I had to learn how to get “unstuck”.  And now we’d like to share with you ways that will help you get “unstuck”.  To have some fun, laughter and release from the mud.

The other purpose is to tell a bit about my story.  You see my story is probably the same as yours.

From time to time, we all experience “getting stuck”.  Being “stuck” is that feeling of uncertainty, loss or confusion about your next moves in life. Those feelings may come as a result of the end of a romance, the sudden feeling of emptiness as your child heads for college or the death of someone who has long helped you find joy in life.  Sometimes it sneaks up on you. Like when you suddenly realize you’ve lost your passion for the job you once loved, when you ache for intimacy but can’t seem to find it or, like me, you suddenly find the plans for your life off track.

About 10 years ago, I was a very successful, up and coming senior Human Resources Executive.  It was exhilarating to work with (not for) the best teams.

Then, the natural aging process got the best of my parents. I don’t think anyone can understand what it’s like to reverse roles with your parents until you have to do it. There’s no preparation, no training, no nothing anyone can tell you that will prepare you for what you’re going to experience.

That was the beginning of my period of “getting stuck”.  It took me 3 years to finally figure out what I needed to do to move on and re-gain my joy in life.  I spent the next couple of years figuring out what made me happy before.  Those lessons and the lessons of others are the basis for my coaching practice. Now I help others find their way out of a place that isn’t fulfilling into on that is passionate and rewarding.

Now I want to offer to you the chance to take one weekend to participate in exercises and activities that will activate your new life vision. This weekend is especially designed to teach you the how to find your joy.

Are you trying to juggle more and more everyday and feeling like you just can’t take on one more thing? Have you been taking care of everyone else for so long that you’ve forgotten how to value and appreciate yourself? Has your life changed in the last few years and you’re no longer feeling inspired, joyful and confident?  Are you ready for a change?

Do you have the courage to learn how to feel appreciated, powerful and beautiful? Are you ready to embrace happiness again or maybe for the first time?

Join us for an inspiring weekend workshop.  You’ll learn how the way you think prevents you from taking steps to happiness.  You’ll learn how to find the courage and strength to find your passion for living, to find your true purpose, to discover yourself.

Are you ready to:

• Learn how your habits and sense of well-being are sabotaging your happiness.
• Learn how to say no to what you don’t want and say yes to what you do want.
• Learn how to visualize what you want and let your vision inspire you every day.

Join Donáh and I Saturday, October 17 at 10 a.m. where we’ll be sharing with you the secrets to finding your passion again.

Insanity is Doing the Same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Are You READY for something different?

Cost:    Workshop $179.00 includes meals and materials

$75.00 for overnight lodging use of hot tub, sauna, and massage facilities.  To register for the retreat copy this URL http://www.coachhr.com/index.cfm/p/pages.women-s-retreat.htm into your browser.

Networking – 5 Ways to Keep Your Game on Point

We’re all looking to stay at the top of our game. After all, in these times it’s a high stakes game. But what does it mean to “Keep your game on point?”  For some it’s about keeping a job or growing your career.  For others it’s about living their dream life – smart, successful kids, healthy lifestyle and being in a loving relationship.  No matter how you define “your end game”, what’s important is to know no one is ever successful without the help of others. Success is all about relationships.  So Like David Letterman’s Top Ten I’m going to give you my top 5 tips on how to keep your game on point.

5. Network –Truly successful people do it often.  They build relationships that allow them to get things done easily and fluidly.  They network regularly and pay attention to the people in their network so it will always be there to serve.

4. Know How to Network Well! – Networking is a mixture of art and science. Many people are poor networkers. They go to meetings and collect cards or search for business opportunities. You know a successful networker when they pick up the phone and say “Jim, I have the perfect person for you to meet!” Then hand you the phone and things happen. Learn the skills that enable you to be a power networker.

3. Set Your Intention – Before going into any networking environment know what you want to create. Do you want to gather a dozen business cards or identify the top 3 – 5 people with whom you can develop a relationship with. Your intention should be based upon finding people who have mutual values and open to share.

2. Give the Gift of Your Presence – The most valuable gift you have is your presence. When you show up it means that your attention is in the room or on the person you are speaking with.  Ask great questions and listen more than you speak. Remember to smile and turn off that cell phone. Give your full attention.

1. Suspend Judgment- The last tip is to suspend judgment of others. You have to believe whomever you bump into is someone you are supposed to meet.  Let go of any initial negative thoughts and don’t go in sizing up people to see if they can help you. The secret is no matter how good you think you are at hiding your feelings everyone can see them.  Remember we live in a polite society. When we are with someone who’s not interested in us we simply smile and move away.

So here’s your opportunity to practice these five tips.  I am inviting you to an exclusive event. You may have gotten my invitation last week.  If you did, consider this a reminder.  The Collaborative Ventures meet and greet event was specifically designed to offer you a chance to meet people who believe networking and helping others is the basis for a successful life.

Are Your Running Your Business by Default or by Design?

Derrick and I met for coffee one morning. He and I were members of a leads generating networking group and an important part of being successful in the group is meeting with members to understand their business and get to know them. One of the questions I always ask during these meeting is “If you could pass on a lesson or two to someone what would it be?”

“The first two years, all I did was focus on surviving. Cash was king and getting the first few orders meant everything,” said Derrick.  “I had all these grand plans on how I was going to make life different for my customers.”  I read all the books on how to start a business, had a great business plan and enough money to take care of the first year.” “I was a successful executive doing much the same thing as I do now for a large company.  But none of that prepared me for what I dealt with and continue to deal with.”

“What’s that?” I asked curiously.

Derrick looked at me with a puzzled looked. “Ten years in business and it all boils down to executing the plan, being ruthless in your hiring and managing people”. Now half my time is on details of the business the other half is on my people. I make sure every manager and employee understands what we’re about and how we serve our customers.”

I often speak on the three critical areas for a business. When we start a coaching session we cover these areas extensively.

Values – Who are you and what kinds of people do you want to work with?

1. Opportunity – what do you sell and why do people buy from you?
2. People – Do you have A players in your most critical positions?
3. Processes – Do you have enough structure to reliably predict how your business operates and your customers’ experience?
4. Talent – What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Knowing the answers to these questions gives you clarity on what’s your end game. The answers form the basis for your roadmap for success. Without these answers, it’s hard to get capital, acquire and retain customers and get the right employees who’ll help your business thrive.

In the end, successful business owners have a plan on how they will work through the three stages of growth. Once the plan is completed, focus on creating the discipline to execute. So the next time you’re working feverishly, stop and ask yourself, “Am I working on the plan I designed or working on whatever seems right?”

Coach HR specializes in helping executives and their teams achieve peak performance.  Achieve Top Level Performance; Bottom Line Results. Denise Cooper is President/CEO of Coach HR_LLC. She is a professional speaker and coach ready to help you and your team achieve peak performance.  www.coachhr.com

The Four Secrets of Successful People

No matter who you are at some point in life you want to know that you have been successful.  But how do you determine you have been successful?  One way is found in The One Thing You Ned to Know by Marcus Buckingham, he says “truly successful people think of success as making the greatest possible impact over the longest period of time”. He found they focused on long term strategic objectives not short term goals. They are clear about the difference between goals and strategic objectives.

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t. We use short term goals as the measure of our success. The affect is when you miss a goal you feel like you’ve failed. Successful people see missing a goal as simply one step towards achieving their strategy. Successful people use what they’ve learned from trying to adjust their strategic plan and move forward. Four components are the building block of success?

1. Know Who You Are Today- By knowing yourself, you are more confident in your belief that you can be successful. Knowing yourself means having an integrated character. You are clear on what’s important to you, you understand clearly what your unique self brings and have the ability to appreciate yourself.

1. Know what’s important to you. Success is measured by looking backwards over time. We judge our success not only by what we did but how we did it. The old saying “to thine own self be true” is the best measure of success. Successful people judge being true to thyself as judging how well they lived  by their underlying beliefs and value of life.

1. Take Charge – Create an Action Plan. Your plan acts as a compass guiding you along the way. Successful people have plans and consciously use them as a compass more often than others.

1. Master Change – Change is hard .Successful people know that to remain successful they must master the change process. Nine out of 10 people won’t change. That’s a fact. But one person will. Why? Because they have mastered the three R’s essential to change. Relationships –They have trusted advisors and friends that keep them focused, grounded. Re- frame - they use others to help them see the problem from different perspectives. That’s right! They get other perspectives to help see and define problems from multiple perspectives and seek new ways.  Retrain –Successful people seek out and embrace learning. And they are not dissuaded by failure. They see failure as one step towards success.

So now ponder what the rest of 2009 will be like for you.  We’re 1/3 of the way through the year. How are you doing on your 2009 goals?

People Are your Greatest Resource – Oh Really!?!

You can always tell what’s important to people by simply looking at what they spend time doing. The things and activities we don’t like we tend not to pay attention to and don’t spend much time on. Right? So then why do business leaders say people are their greatest resource in achieving and maintaining a competitive edge and yet spend the so little time investing in themselves and their employees?
Being polite most of the time, I can tell you it doesn’t win me any points with executives when I tell them I don’t believe them. But I’m here to say, the emperor has no clothes on. Ask yourself, over the last 10 days where have you spent your time? How much is it on cash flow, customer acquisition and retention, improving your supply chain? I’ll be you know exactly what your sales were for the last three months but do you also put the same level of meticulous effort on managing and developing people?
As a coach and former HR executive I’ve heard a lot of reasons why managers don’t spend time on managing talent. Here are 4 common excuses that keep managers from investing in people.
1) Pulled myself up by the bootstrap mentality. No one helped me. Truth is no one makes it alone. Even when we can’t see them there’s always someone helping us along. There’s someone giving us a word of advice, opening a door on an opportunity, or sheltering us from our mistakes.
2) It’s an employer’s market. We can pick and choose from the best. Your philosophy says that the hidden cost of time and money means nothing to you or your bottom line. Do you feel the same way about the time value of money? If not, what’s the difference?
3) It costs too much or takes too long to develop people. Peter Drucker said it best, “A 5% increase in productivity would double the operating profits for most companies.” Tell me you don’t what to double your operating profits in today’s economy.
4) “The boss doesn’t care why should I?” This is absolutely true for many people. It speaks to our feeling of self-worth and how we get clues on what’s important. The flip side is “if you don’t care about me why should I care about what’s important to you?”

The best companies are the best because they know managing talent is as important as managing cash flow. Everyone else believes there are short cuts to success and repeatedly spend time trying to find them. I can tell you lying to employees isn’t one of them. So if developing and managing employees isn’t important admit it to yourself. Your employees already know it. Successful people and companies spend the time making sure what’s important is worked on, developed over time and measured. That’s true whether it’s monitoring inventory, revenue projections or productivity. All these measure are based upon the talent of your organization. If these measures are important to you then ask yourself “what are the triggers that increase or decrease performance? Hint: it’s not how much you pay people.

Coach HR specializes in helping executives and their teams achieve peak performance. Achieve Top Level Performance; Bottom Line Results. Denise Cooper is President/CEO of Coach HRLLC. She is a professional speaker and coach ready to help you and your teams achieve peak performance. Contact her today at www.coachhr.com

Is sucky service killing Corporate America?

We’re all wondering why Corporations are in such trouble today. Well in my opinion it started when they lost focus on their brand and what service means to the consumer. I’m going to pick on the restaurant industry for a moment because I’m mad and this is an example of how short sighted management thinking is on service. Here in Charlotte we just finished Restaurant week. One week a year, restaurants offer a lower cost meal to patrons to get them to try a new restaurant, new foods, new flavors. With the economy as bad as it is Restaurant Week was probably a boost to our local economy. Well here’s where some restaurants missed the boat. The Capital Grill is a high end restaurant. So you expect to pay more there than at Chili’s but you also expect high end service when you dine there. On Friday, I took a client and guest to the Capital Grill (honestly I forgot it was restaurant week) for dinner. To make a long story short I have to tell you both the food and service sucked! The waiter forgot my clients salad and gave a lame excuse about it being special order. The steak my client had was tough and tasteless and he didn’t eat it. The waiter didn’t come back to check on our food or inquire whether we liked it or not. When we were finished and the waiter came to remove our plates, my client told him about the steak. The waiter nodded and took the plate away- no apology. We ordered a bottle of wine and had to pay by the glass because we ordered off the wrong menu. Water glasses not filled and waiter forgot to ask us about coffee or cordials at the end of the meal. Oh did I mention my client ordered off the regular menu while I and my partner ordered off the special Restaurant Week menu. So I might have expected my food to be dull and uninteresting. I certainly didn’t expect my clients meals to be that. We spent well over $200.00 for what??? For me it was a total embarrassment since I am the host and it’s my city. So did the waiter make any acknowledgment, apology or accommodation for the poor service NO! So my client, who works for the Food Network, thought it better to just write a letter to the corporate headquarters and complain. But God was smiling down on us or so I thought. We ran into the manager on our way out. My client told the story, which I’ve shortened here, in a nice, calm fashion. The manager smiled and said sorry. That was it! So where did “fix a mistake” service go? Where did when you go to a high end restaurant you expect and get top level service? What the heck do restaurant managers think we go out to dinner for these days? And is this the publicity you want for your brand? i mentioned Chili’s earlier because I got better service, not service appropriate to the amount I’m spending, I mean much better service from them than the Capital Grill. I’m told that the restaurant industry is hurting so badly the old expectations of excellent service aimed at making your dining experience wonderful is gone. I was told they can’t afford it any longer. Lower price point restaurants are eating away at the market share of the high end restaurants and they have to cut corners everywhere. For the life of me I can’t understand how this strategy is going to serve the Capital Grill when the economy turns around. If you’re going to act like Chili’s and serve food equal to Chili’s and your service levels is lower than Chili’s tell me how you’re going to compete with higher prices? So those of you in the industry tell me how poor service helps your brand and fosters repeat business? Are you trading on your laurels and therefore believe when the market returns so will your customers? Repeat customers are easier to keep than acquiring new ones. I thought regulars were the life blood of any business. It is mine. It is far cheaper and more lucrative for me to keep customers than to acquire them. Customers refer others and are the best PR you can get. I guess a long term death is better than telling corp about the short term losses.

Managing Your Career in A World of Chaos

I was recently contacted by a local news reporter. She wanted to do a story on a woman who’s been in the job market for over 6 months and had over 30 interviews with no offers. The story’s angle was to help viewers learn a few things that would help them find a job. I was asked to work with her and help her figure out how to find a job.

Well the story didn’t happen but I began wondering “what could I do to help others who are in the same shoes?” Let me start by saying I’m not a transition coach – one who specializes in helping people find their next job –but I do speak to group on how to Manage Your Career in a World of Chaos. So here are five things that can help you manage your career.

1. Know your talents and how you use those talents to bring value to others. Act like you’re the CEO of your career. The first lesson every good executive knows is demand brutal honesty about what you’re facing. Not only should you do your homework identifying companies and people who may be able to get you that interview but be relentless about knowing who you are and what you bring to the table. Most people tend to ignore their own worth, uniqueness and value and as such they feel like they have to “spin” the story on their experience and contribution. When we “spin” the story about accomplishments we underestimate the effect on your self esteem. This idea of “spinning” has only made it more difficult for us to trust each other and fuels a feeling of desperation. That desperation comes through as you ask others to help you.

2. Networking (or as I say Quiltworking) is an art. Quiltworking is building relationships with people across industries, in and out of work. And you should start building those relationships before you need them. Building relationships means taking the risk to help someone for no other reason than because you can. It’s about being generous of spirit. The strength of your ability to land on your feet is based upon how well you’ve created a rich tapestry of relationships.

3. Become an expert at managing expectations. To manage expectations well hone the skill of clearly identifying and communicating outcomes and results. People skilled at managing expectations know how to listen to others and are able to anticipate the needs of others often time before they know it. It gives you the ability to accurately discern and manage expectations – both yours and others around you.

4. Not everything is for everybody. As a candidate you come to the interview believing that you are more than capable of doing the job. Getting the interview generally means that the interviewer believes that too. But the interview has three purposes. 1) To verify you have the pre-requisite skills, knowledge and abilities. 2) the interviewers want to know how you can add value and help the company/department meet or exceed customer expectations and 3) the interviewer is trying to figure out if you can work in their culture, with their rules and with their quirks. That’s what “fit” means. So if after the interview you don’t get the position then it’s mostly likely because the interviewers don’t think you fit and not because you aren’t qualified.

5. Have a plan. Those who successfully navigate the chaotic changes in the world of business do so because they have a plan. Staying abreast of changes in your chosen field of expertise should only be part of your plan. Truly leveraging your talents and thereby maximizing your options and opportunities entails knowing how to apply your expertise to solve problems in a variety of situation – across functions or industries.