The PGI Edge

There are some industries where leadership is still predominantly comprised of men. This doesn’t always mean it’s harder for women to advance, but you need to be proactive when you decide to seek new prospects. Of course, this is good advice even if you aren’t in a male-dominated field. If you’re ready to take charge of your life and start moving forward — whether you’re going for a promotion, making a career switch, or even starting your own business — use these tips to make that next step a reality.

Tip #1 - Market Yourself Wisely

• Create Your Personal Brand: When you start your own business, part of the planning stage is developing your brand. Having a brand is no longer limited to business owners, though. You want to create a personal brand so potential employers know who you are and what you can offer. According to Northeastern University, the key to building your personal brand is to define who you are as a professional. Ask yourself what your best skills are, which projects motivate you, and where you expect to go in the future.
• Tailor Your Online Reputation: Your personal brand is primarily created through your online presence. Start crafting that presence by being active in online communities in your field. Remember that your personal brand is impacted by your entire online presence too, not just the spaces where you engage professionally. Before applying for new jobs, it’s important to make sure your online reputation reflects a positive image because many employers use social media as a way to find out more about applicants. An easy way to develop a good online brand is to get the help of a reputation management company. Their job is to contract with writers who create a large quantity of online content for you, including blog posts, press releases, and articles, that demonstrate your volunteer work, awards, and other accomplishments.

This is a guest blog post from our partner, Joanne Flynn, Founder of Phoenix Strategic Performance.

Job descriptions are the unsung hero driving the Performance Management process. If the performance management process is fundamental to HAMS, then job descriptions are the mighty little, obscure engine driving the whole process.

How important are job descriptions in Human Asset Management Strategy (HAMS) and how can those often forgotten job descriptions be so important? Because if they are only used as HR tools for job branding and compensation, then they are misnamed. If that’s the case, they should be called job categories. Here’s what they should really be doing.

This is a guest blog post from our partner, Joanne Flynn, Founder of Phoenix Strategic Performance.

Getting employees more productive is often associated with delegation. So let’s take a journey into ‘delegation land’. As managers, we often outline what the person needs to do, tell them to do it, and naively call it delegation.

The Complex Challenges of the Delegation Process

The art of delegation is one of the most difficult and complex tasks a manager can perform. It is the most critical managerial task for the organization and yet it eludes most managers. Why? Because it is a multi-step process, that requires assessment, execution on the part of two people, accountability and the genuine investment of time. But, the most common manager response to delegating is, ‘I can do it faster myself’. Haven’t we all said that? So in reality, under the delegation banner, we have true delegation, over delegation, under delegation, micro delegation and dumping. Let’s focus on the last category – dumping! 

There is an important distinction between true delegation and the others. The problem arises when the manager assumes that by just telling the employee to do something, delegation has occurred and, the employee is fully accountable.  This could not be further from the truth.  In reality, dumping has taken place.

Here are 4 critical challenges the manager must initiate to avoid dumping and develop the management skill of delegating:

This position has been filled. If you're interested in viewing our current open positions, click here.

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Our client is the leading provider of risk analytics and consulting for residential loans and mortgage-backed securities. They develop and license prepayment and credit models as well as risk measurement tools that are the benchmark analytics used by top mortgage and commercial banks, insurers, credit unions, broker-dealers and money management firms.

This position has been filled. If you're interested in viewing our current open positions, click here.

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Since we are now in the fourth quarter, it's time for you to do a 'Career Self Check'.  Just like organizations go through the performance review and compensation process, you should be performing the same rigorous review on yourself.  At this time, we strongly encourage you to review your background on our Phoenix Group International website to make sure it is current.  If you need to, please login and upload your current resume. 

As you look at yourself and your career for 2015 and beyond, here are some important questions you should be asking yourself about where you want to be in your career.

Career Check List:

• What are my career goals for 2015? 
• What are my longer-term career goals for the next 5 years? 

It’s never too early to start managing people, your most important asset.  Increase the ROI of your people investment.  Focus on improving financial results by unlocking human capital potential. 

You're invited to our exclusive Lunch & Learn in partnership with the Arizona Technology Council on September 25, 2014 hosted by our partner, Phoenix Strategic Performance.  Phoenix Strategic Performance utilizes a strategic, business-focused people assessment model bringing an integrated business discipline to human capital performance.

Start-up and high-growth companies, by their very nature, are fast-paced and change continually.  Every person in every role will make a critical, strategic difference.  There is no room for error and no place to hide. During our upcoming Lunch & Learn with the Arizona Technology Council, learn how to take a disciplined approach to strategic human capital planning focusing on business agility and unlocking the strength of your people.