Moving Higher: From Productivity to Creativity

Yes!

That is how my Evernote Calendar looked on 14^th July.

I watched TV, read a few pages from Sapiens, went for a long leisurely walk with a neighbor, chatted with my mother for hours, dozed off in the afternoon (which is very unusual), prepared dinner (which I do every day though) – You need to feel the power of doing nothing, once in a while. That does not happen. This is the closest I could get.

I checked Watsapp just once or twice throughout the day to see if our tenant had sent a copy of the agreement for us to review before he takes a printout. Later, I realized I should not have done that and should have just kept my phone away too. They would have called me after sending the draft for me to check. So you see - habitual thinking patterns and a nagging old habit that continued for many years, just do not fade way, one fine Saturday. 

It takes time.

Though I was away from my laptop I had a mental plan what I will be doing once I open my laptop just before going to sleep. I had sent sample of our work to a prospect and wondered if it will look unprofessional if there was no response from our end, in case they had sought some clarification pertaining to the sample.

I immediately put that thought to rest remembering it was a Saturday and they better get the message right from us at the very outset - what to expect during weekends:

No response; No work; No assignments: No Delivery Deadlines.

Recently in response to our pitch to a prospect from India, he proposed to have a call late in the evening, around 8 PM. We proposed 5 PM and snap it went - there was no response after that.

Did we follow up? Well, we are notoriously famous for never doing that with anyone. Here goes our simple logic and rationale.

When you move a call to fag end of the day, it isn’t important either ways, why have it then?

Dude, it is your startup. Feel free to work 20 hours a day, we don’t care. 

We care about our creativity big time. 

We do deep work just for a few hours a week not because we look up to Tim Ferris or Cal New Port but because we cannot produce creativity at factory or industry level - just yet. That requires focus and fresh state of mind.

If a prospect can move an introductory call to discuss a possible business engagement to late evening, almost dinner time, we draw our tested, sure shot conclusions - This is not his priority.

Those days are gone when the service providers will accommodate prospect's time just to be in the game.

We are not half as smart as the others are who do what we do. We are just more disciplined and we like it that way to keep our creativity intact.

The world is moving towards Gig economy. We work for global clients, we work as a virtual team, we work in different time zones, we work specific hours, we work on different assignments, we utilize our bandwidth across industries and we have over 45 skills sets in our growing team. 

We care to be creative, effective and measure outcomes.

We as a team, know and believe - it is not enough to be just productive by squeezing in another quick call just to feel good and to make calendars and Evernote look super nice.

"On_the_way_back_home" call is not our way of working. 

Do The Experienced Professionals Need Internship?

I will leave you with that question for a minute.

Just look at the tension in today’s job market - Is it because millennial generation have a better way of doing things than the Generation X?

Again I am going to let you ponder on that question as well.

Digital Competence

In the emerging digital age, do you feel that you are not competent enough, fast enough, smart enough, knowledgeable enough or productive enough?

Just being efficient enough to juggle between apps is not digital competence. Seriously!

An even worse scenario is this:

Do you think your whole past work experience is not good enough? Those two or three decades of work is actually going against you because you are not able to quantify your achievements?

If any one of these thoughts cross your mind even once, you are a potential candidate for internship.

Image Credit: Canva Design

Seeking To Return To Work

It is a huge challenge to re-launch and set your career graph in the appropriate direction. However during a job gap, say the five years you were missing in action, a lot has changed.

“People of age” definitely need to take internship first to take stalk of business and job market and then to up skill to fit into that dynamic job landscape.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in taking extended break provided you have skill and knowledge coping mechanisms in place.

There are many women who once had a great career, took time off to raise children, manage domestic priorities or take care of ailing seniors at home.

There are two ways to catch up - read when you are away or pick an internship to be back.

The Switchover

There are many senior workers who actually want to do something of their own. They are aware that there is so much happening outside the corporate world. Some of them have the dough to get started as they are in their income peaks, however they are not sure about the kneading process, the grind and what to expect from an alternate income venture - a business, e-commerce, consulting, coaching or software company.

They have rich experience however without much clarity about how the startup Eco system works. They are probably too proud to be hand held because they definitely have an intelligent mind of their own. 

If they work for a live project either as a Co-Founder or on equity that can just be the much required trigger for them to take the final plunge, gather the required skills and mindset for a seamless switchover

Is that not internship too for first time entrepreneurs – in the startup world?

Two major outcomes of this switch over would be

1] Someone younger replaces him

2] Many more job opportunities can be created through his company

BECKON Coach creates learning road map for similar internships. We already have two internships in progress in spa and tourism industry. We will soon create/ upload those case studies, once it goes live. Contact here to know more

Make Your Own Lane: Find Your Reasons To Learn and Use Your Skills

Today I have an interesting point to make.

I got to get this wrapped really soon as I have another blog to write, a place to visit in the next half an hour, an evening walk that I can never miss and a quick family gathering at the end of the day.

Someone from our tribe – engaged in alternate learning model – who had a tough time deciding which skills to offer as services just a couple of months back – to whom I dedicated one full blog (Read here)

How does it make you feel, when as a coach you receive this on your birthday from the learner who had no clue about the existence of any such site even two months back, without a LinkedIn profile and inactive on face book –In short, digitally dead

Image Credit: Canva Design

We are not done yet. She writes her first blog for her upcoming project Indriyaah, a home based salon here

Am I making a big deal about micro learning?

That is your first step to alternate learning model.

Learn something new each day, at your own pace, from a reliable source

In BECKON Learning Community we have 

Educators who design clothes or plan to conduct tours

Corporate professionals who support word press initiatives

Non MBAs who support startup Eco system with business plans and strategy

Academically average students support in research

The problem with factory model education is – We stop learning or acquiring new skills if there are no exams or scores. 

When you self teach something new or through peer support, get to apply new learning and you see the impact – That is your certification.

To know more or join the tribe and be engaged in outcome driven initiatives, connect here

Make Your Own Lane: Top Three Portfolio Mistakes

One of our clients from India needed assistance regarding the following:

1] Move up the value chain for existing clients

2] Research other segments of IT market where the company can get ongoing work that can be billed per hour basis and continuous engagement throughout the year. Fundamentally they wanted to improve and expand ITES business to other segments of market in USA and other countries

3] Team size was 100+ engineering graduates and therefore resource optimization was their third ask.

Now as a consultant, even if you provide solutions, you cannot measure the outcomes of your recommendations unless the basics are taken care.

For example, this company had Web Designing as one of their service offering

1] How can you possibly go up the value chain?

2] How can you get a foothold in new markets with additional services?

3] How can you exploit the true potential of your resources?

If your website looks like it was created by an amateur or a recent graduate.

1] How will the testimonials in the website make any difference?

2] How will the case study you uploaded in website transfer trust and conviction to your prospects?

3] How will your human resources have that basic sense of pride when the most critical marketing tool - the website does not meet industry standards?

If website designing is your service offering and your own company website is not a great example of your creativity and designing abilities – why should a prospect even bother considering you or your services for their business?

Even if you share multiple logos in your website that you already worked with, it does very little to build that confidence in a prospect’s mind when your own website is poorly designed.

Mistake 1: Poor examples

I know someone who recently began consulting and picked the easiest business available today (Most amateurs think this can be a one man business and you do not even need a garage to get started) - Digital Marketing

I am observing his online behavior – Here are my first impressions

1] An incomplete website for more than two months

2] Presence in multiple face book groups and presence – dropping the same message

3] Providing freebies to build credibility, which is basically sourced from experts, not hinting at any personal value add - except postman services.

4] A slide share done in a hurry with multiple errors

5] There is no blog

6] Twitter is Crowdfire managed and has followers not remotely relevant to his business

7] Articles published in LinkedIn is not relevant to digital marketing. If those were written before the business started, there is no point adding them in Quora to establish digital expertise

8] Random use of multiple mediums and forums 

Structured, organized and consistent efforts to build your own digital profile is not only a great example to instill confidence in your prospect’s mind, it reflects a degree of maturity, even if you are new entrant in the market.

Mistake 1:  Poor example of marketing his portfolio digitally

Mistake 2:  Futile multiple attempts to behave like legends when you are actually still learning to hold the rope

It is perfectly alright to take time to be doubly sure about your business idea and long term intentions before you quit your posh job to bootstrap your startup.

What is not alright is switching industry and intentions at the drop of an eyelid – Your decision fluctuates because while you want to start a business, your online presence talks about your primary occupation – your livelihood. 

Mistake 3: To let the potential of making money drive your business appetite

Why should your Facebook profile show former Vice President, XYZ Company when you are trying to be a retreat specialist or spa therapist as part of your startup idea

Write to advocating.outcomes@gmail.com to have our team review your portfolio and share perspectives/call out scope for improvement

Make Your Own Lane: The Dual Boat Syndrome

I spend considerable time reading articles on LinkedIn and sometimes it is easy to catch the trend.

Recruiters posting about job requirements

Job seekers posting about their interview experience or the hiring cycle

Self obsessed branding 
Startups offering free webinars/ pitch decks to brand their presence

Long, really long headlines

Image Design Credit: Canva

One

What are your first impressions and initial thoughts when you see one of your LinkedIn contact (Ex colleague or friend or neighbor) who has been dormant in the platform for ages, suddenly

a.   Adding new connects, every second day

b.   Liking articles

c.   Following the Who’s who

Right, I think the same - On the lookout symptoms.

Two

Some change their headline “Looking for challenging opportunities”

Simple and straight – I often wondered if that broadcast really helps or is it just a hollow threat to their current reporting managers who are in the same platform?

Three

Some begin to like status notes or drop a “Yes” comment with the hope that the recruiter who posted the shout out for an opening checks their LinkedIn profiles.

The general perception with this one is confusing – I sometimes like such status notes for people, so that my network is made aware and can apply.

Four

Then you have those retiring early to do their own thing. The marathon farewell message and the epic thank you notes are like micro blogs, soft selling about their future endeavor already.

Five

Do changes in profile, click save and notify. If this exercise is frequent, it is just another on-the-lookout symptom.

Six

Some of them suddenly realize Facebook does not get you jobs. More than those family dinner pictures, which will fetch a few likes and then be lost - a few motivational quotes, a few pictures in seminars and workshops, a few certificates, a few free advises, few likes to #RPA #Machinelearning #Datascience can bring the profile within the radar.

Seven

If anyone from the leadership band suddenly writes an average blog, it is to brand a company product or service.

On the other hand, if he writes a mind blowing blog, thoroughly researched from credible sources, that is mostly for branding his own domain expertise to establish his credibility for future employers.

The difference in quality of blog is so distinct that you can almost read the purpose loud and clear

If you do not believe me, just check how many leadership profiles have just one blog published. They are back to the daily grind. A promotion is due. CXO is happy and so the crisis is gone.

The next blog will be up when the whirlwind subsides and they begin to focus on wildly important goals (Covey’s 4D) – startup, next move, do your own thing etc or when the axe works again.

Eight

What do these headlines convey about the professional?

Sales leader| Agile| Project Management| Blogger |  Product developer

Best Selling Author | Ted Speaker | 32000 Followers on Twitter | 

Entrepreneur| Sales Coach| Motivational Speaker| Life Coach | Blogger

Sales and Marketing Expert | Trainer| 25 Years in Sales |

I have no idea how these headlines look to a recruiter or a prospective client. I find them screaming to be noticed.

Finally,

You have those subtle ones.

They tweak their headlines every two weeks, test a variety of combination, not exactly sure what is likely to pop up in search engines – They are the ones who are desperately looking for change while carrying out business as usual.

I received a few messages on LinkedIn of this nature, mostly from those with a full time job

“How do I get into freelancing or part time assignments?

“How do I launch my consulting business?”

The Side Hustle

Before you think about your side hustle, give this a long thought - how exactly do you want your clients and prospects to view this in your professional networking forums?

Can you possibly have a headline pitching to both the employers and your clients? You may want to fine tune your target audience first, before you make that broadcast.

It is absolutely your call what you want to project about yourself in these forums. Your profile reflects your priorities.

9 AM to 5 PM or 5 PM to 9 PM

Active income or passive income

Side hustle or full time

Role specific or soul specific

At one point, you have to get off one boat so that your conviction gets transferred to those you want to work with. Your commitment speaks more loudly than those profile headlines

How can you launch your consulting business while working for a paycheck? How can you manage the social media of your startup if your paycheck obligates you to like and comment on your company's activities?

How can you possibly be somebody you want to be without sacrificing who you are today?

Check this to know more about how you can make your own lane

Live: It Is Your Skill, Your Clients, Your Business And Your Choice

Here are a few of my email responses to job consultants, recruiters and hiring managers in the past few months

Dear ABC,

 I have met XYZ yesterday. My constraints are with time and therefore have to pass this opportunity for the more deserving. Thank you for letting me have this learning experience. In my personal capacity, I will definitely refer my contacts to avail your services, whenever the need arises. I am already following your firm on twitter for industry updates 

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Yes please

 I will be interested in the opportunity however on contractual basis or assignment basis (Not full time) I have relocated to Kolkata a couple of months back therefore we will have to collaborate on SKYPE. If this arrangement is okay, I will be glad to take this forward. Regards 

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I am based in Bangalore and cannot relocate to Chennai. I can remotely support training/ learning function on demand/ contract basis like I support other start companies with plans, content, website, coaching modules etc, if (Company Name) is open to the concept.  

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Thank you for contacting.

 (Company Name) HR has directly sent me a mail for this opportunity. As I support startup companies with business plans, website content, marketing campaign, leadership coaching, training modules, on demand basis, I have reverted back to (Company Name), if they are open to similar idea of me supporting transition function without being a full time employee - Transition role is need based subject to deal wins. If sales do not win new clients, transition team does not have much to do which is a huge bandwidth waste. If you can pitch this idea to them, do reach out to me if there is a possibility. As far as I know (Company Name) is a 60 member transition team - I just do not want to be another new hire there please. I can sign NDA/ Contract/ confidentiality clauses to ensure there is no conflict of interest. Just that after 11 years in BPO, over 6 years in Bid Management and Transitioning several projects across Banking, Telecom etc, I need better exposure. Thanks again.

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That is how polite I am while responding to job inquiries today. First thing you will notice is I have stated my priority upfront - My time.

You will also notice, I am not flatly refusing the opportunity - I am leaving the note with a subtle pitch they may want to consider to avail my services. 

Seriously, what I did in my corporate years, AltLearn Ventures is just an extension of that capability backed by a virtual team to serve more than one company. So each of these companies can be our potential clients. Inward marketing is just as good as outward marketing.

Though I know it will take a while, may be close to another decade when even the large corporations will begin to think on those lines and feel the need to switch to part time consultants and contractual assignments for their daily activities. This is not outsourcing processes, job or office activities. This is need based in-sourcing.

M&M

You have a perfect plan for the day. To optimize your productivity you decided to do all the “thinking” piece of work when your mind is fresh – before lunch.

Traffic was not easy somehow you got over it when you got yourself a steaming cup of coffee. Just when you were about to begin work, you were called for a meeting.

The problem here is your reporting manager also has similar plans to do all the important meetings - before lunch.

So the “thinking” piece of work moves to late evening and by the time, your first and final cut is ready, the whole thing spills over to late nights.

That was my first aha point.

I write long mails in the portal itself and that is all I do to understand my client's work and deliver my assignment. I do not share email ID, SKYPE ID, phone number - nothing.

Denial Mode

Many people I know stay in denial about the reality of their job situation. They are okay with 

Extended work hours

Working weekends

Doing the mundane

Lack of recognition

It is not the company's increment and incentive structure that is holding them back or the fact that the job market is not quite encouraging. They are yet to identify their top sell-able skills to find clients based on their individual capability without a company's name to back their credentials or achievement.

After years in Corporate, the first client acquisition based on your lead, pitch, proposal, credentials does a lot of good to your confidence - the path and vision gets clearer. With every new client, your working style becomes better and a proven model.

That is the second aha moment

Now, as I hand hold others seeking alternative careers, additional income through a startup or part time venture, either through my booklet or coaching session, I facilitate their journey to reach exactly those two aha moments first.

1] Freedom from M&M - The age old saga of meetings and managers. 

2] Winning a client purely based on your skills - Without any recommendation

Soon, I and many like me, should be able write this,to every recruiter who has time based role offer,

We are not really good match

Can we talk skill based role please?

I find myself more resourceful as an external coach, unaffected by internal sycophancy, politics, people pleasing attitude, bureaucracy and waste of time or bandwidth that runs in many organizations as part of their culture, too deep to ignore and tolerate.

I also know a decent percentage of population is already out of corporate to work on their business ideas, establish online income independently, work their own hours, do their own thing and passionate about their work.

Are you keen to launch your coaching business or trade your skills and expertise to many clients?

Write to advocating.outcomes@gmail.com for a checklist to get started