Smart

Adapted from the book

Smart Questions-People skills for

winning the games of career

success (& office politics!)

Michael McGaulley, J.D.

Questions People skills for winning the games of career success

(& office politics!)

Ever get the sense that you’re not getting the

kind of recognition that your talents and efforts

deserve—pay and bonuses and promotions,

perks, and appreciation?

If yes— honestly yes —then it’s time to ask

yourself “smart questions” like these:

Smart Question 5.0

Am I receiving the

recognition and compensation

that I honestly deserve?

• If not, why not?

• What can I do?

Adapted from the book

Smart Questions: People skills for winning the games of career success

(& office politics!) by Michael McGaulley, J.D.

Smart Question 5.1

Assumptions Being Made: Based on measured results of other clients, typically a 10% revenue increase occrs after implementing our e-commerce solution. One-time invstment for this size organization is typically $750K with an annual on-going investment of $75K. Research on Tailspin Toy’s gross profit margin (32%). Research on Tailspin Toy’s annual revenue ($100M).

Where do the significant rewards go in my

organization, profession, or trade? To whom

or to what group? Why there? Am I in that

group?

Money talks, and tends to speak more honestly

than words.

By tracing where the budget dollars go within

your organization, you gain a realistic insight

on what is really valued there.

Assumptions Being Made: Based on measured results of other clients, typically a 10% revenue increase occrs after implementing our e-commerce solution. One-time invstment for this size organization is typically $750K with an annual on-going investment of $75K. Research on Tailspin Toy’s gross profit margin (32%). Research on Tailspin Toy’s annual revenue ($100M).

• When I compare where the recognition and

rewards go, what does that tell me about how my

job, my contribution, and even my section are

really valued?

• Do promotions come as quickly in my section or

area as in other fields or departments?

How do the career ladders compare — in terms of

how fast and how far one can progress?

Am I in a backwater department, or a field to

which dollars and recognition do not readily flow?

What if my section or area of expertise is a dead-end?

What if I conclude that my job, or the department in which

I work, are considered, by the key people, as dead ends?

Option #1: Develop a public-relations campaign to

“educate” my boss and boss’ bosses on the value of my

contribution. BUT . . . it may already be too late. Once

the handwriting is on the wall, it’s usually impossible to

erase. Which leads to . . .

Option #2: Pull the plug here, and think about starting

over someplace else.

Assumptions Being Made: Based on measured results of other clients, typically a 10% revenue increase occrs after implementing our e-commerce solution. One-time invstment for this size organization is typically $750K with an annual on-going investment of $75K. Research on Tailspin Toy’s gross profit margin (32%). Research on Tailspin Toy’s annual revenue ($100M).

Smart Question 5.2

Is some other person getting the rewards,

promotions, budget, etc. that (honestly)

should go to me?

Why? Is it really just favoritism and office politics?

Is there something I should learn from them and

how they operate?

OR, am I being sent an unspoken message . . .

that this is not the place for me?

Assumptions Being Made: Based on measured results of other clients, typically a 10% revenue increase occrs after implementing our e-commerce solution. One-time invstment for this size organization is typically $750K with an annual on-going investment of $75K. Research on Tailspin Toy’s gross profit margin (32%). Research on Tailspin Toy’s annual revenue ($100M).

Smart Question 5.3

If I am not getting the recognition and pay

that my work deserves, why not?

In that case, then consider these points:

Am I in a job for which there is not a strong market

need, or in a field to which society or the

marketplace does not assign a high value?

Is what I’m doing, or the way I’m doing it, not

particularly valuable to the organization? That is, do

I add enough real value?

Even if it is valuable, is it not perceived as valuable

by those who dispense rewards?

Some other issues to consider :

Have I carved out my unique niche?

What makes my contribution unique? Special skills?

Hard work? Contacts?

Is it clear that I add unique value?

Am I—and what I contribute—“visible”?

Am I in the career or role that best fits my abilities?

Smart Question 5.4

Who are the important judges?

How do they view me and my contribution?

What implications?

Way back, only one judge really mattered: the teacher who

graded your schoolwork.

But it’s not that simple now. Perhaps your supervisor does

give out grades, in one form or another—maybe feedback,

maybe ranking, or performance reviews.

But the supervisor is usually not the only judge . . . and often

not even the most important: Here are some others important

judges that you need to be aware of:

1. Your boss, and boss’ boss.

If you work within an organization, normally your

immediate supervisor will be the key judge, and those

further up the organizational hierarchy will also be

significant.

.

2. Your co-workers.

Your co-workers may also be important judges, as their

judgment of you will reflect in how much cooperation

and respect they provide.

3. Your customers or clients.

• If you’re in contact with the ultimate paying

customer, then of course that customer matters.

• But even if your work output goes only to some

other department within the agency, that user, your

customer, is important, as their satisfaction, or the

lack of it, will reflect back.

What if you’re self-employed?

If you’re self-employed, then your customers or

clients will normally be the most important

judges.

• But your peers may also be crucial judges, both

for the degree of cooperation they give you, as

well as for the referrals they may pass on.

(Those might be other self-employeds in a

related field with whom you may trade

referrals.)

Checklist: Spotting the important judges

Who are the important judges of how well I'm doing my job? Why are they the key judges, and not

others?

What criteria are they using to judge me and my contribution?

Are these the most appropriate measures? If not, what should be the criteria, and how can I

"educate" them to recognize and judge by the criteria that are truly important?

Are the apparent judges the truly important judges? For instance, is my outside client a more

important judge than my supervisor? If not, what should I do about it?

If I am locked in with inappropriate judges, is there a way to bypass them and get the attention of

ones who are more appropriate—or more open to me?

Overall, what are the practical implications for me?

Font too small for comfort? You’ll find this checklist here or at

http://www.careersuccesshow-to.com/

Some overall issues to consider:

Is there some unstated reason why I am not

getting the recognition and compensation that I

deserve?

Am I missing some signals?

Am I failing to recognize and respond to the

various “games” in play?

What can I do?

To wrap up, If you are not receiving all of the

recognition and compensation that you honestly

deserve, then it’s most likely because of one (or

more) of these reasons:

First, you may be in the wrong career track, wrong

department . . . or even wrong organization.

Second, you may not be working as effectively as

possible (which is not necessarily the same as

efficiently), or you may not be perceived as valuable.

Third, you may not be aware of the important judges

and what they look for. Or they may not be aware of

you and your contribution. Or they may not see you

as you think they should.

This infographic was adapted from the book,

Smart Questions People skills for playing the games of career

success (& office politics!)

Michael McGaulley, J.D.

• To order SMART QUESTIONS as an e-book or p-book

• To visit the blog

CareerSuccessHow-to.com