EXERTING CONTROL ON OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT:Important communication tip, Exerting control over the outside world

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Human Relations MGMT611

Lesson 33

EXERTING CONTROL ON OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT

In the previous two lectures you learnt to control your own behaviour. Now in this lecture you will learn to

control those outside factors that become a hurdle in performing certain tasks. You will learn these

techniques, so that you could achieve your goals by controlling environmental hindrances. If you are able to

influence those actions and behaviors that influence you, you will create synergy between you and the

environment around you. Moreover, if this synergy is created, your environment becomes supportive to

achieve your goals and you become more successful and productive for yourself, for your family and for

your organization and for your society at large.

Important tips to control external environment

Let us discuss some points that help control external environment.

1. Manager sees performance as a measure of potential, not potential as a measure of performance. Try to

perform well as the performance is the indicator of your potential.

2. Appearing physically fit is a part of success image. Success syndrome also includes your physical fitness,

health and pleasant behaviour. It leaves a good impression on the people around you.

3. Make your gestures project self-assurance and purpose. People would like to be a member of your team,

if your gestures show self-assurance.

4. Make positive assertions such as "This is a demanding assignment and I welcome the challenge".By

doing this, not only you enhance your confidence, it energizes the people around you.

Important communication tip

Avoid five self-defeating communication behaviors:

1. Talking too fast which makes what you say seem unimportant

2. Talking too much or giving more details than others want.

3. Being too critical, or passing judgments about others.

4. Being too self-critical or too revealing about your own inadequacies.

5. Displaying weak body language or using a weak tone of voice.

Exerting control over the outside world

Exert some control over the outside environment. If the environment is not totally controlled, at least it is

juggled to one's advantage.

A. Develop a Flexible Career Path

1. The Traditional Career Path

2. The Horizontal Career Path

B. Have an Action Plan to Reach Your Goals

C. Achieve Broad Experience

D. Be Visible

E. Find a Mentor

F. Manage Luck

G. Balance Your Life

A. Develop a Flexible Career Path

If your goals are laid out systematically to lead to your ultimate career goal, you have established a career

path--a sequence of positions necessary to achieve a goal. Here we look at two types of career paths.

1. The Traditional Career Path.

A traditional career path is based on the assumption that a person will occupy a series of positions, each at a

higher level of responsibility than the previous one. You should be flexible to work for career goals.

2. The Horizontal Career Path.

The norm today in organizations is not to have fixed career paths, and for individuals only to be able to

make predictions about the type of work they would like to be doing rather than target specific positions.

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A horizontal career path is slightly easier to predict than a vertical one. A significant feature of the

horizontal career path is that people are more likely to advance by moving sideways than moving up.

A horizontal career path, as well as a traditional (vertical) one, does not necessarily mean the person stays

with the same firm.

B. Have an Action Plan to Reach Your Goals

If you do not have action plan to achieve your goal, the environment around you will control your

behaviour. To be effective, career goals usually have to be backed up by action plans. These plans can be

drawn in minute detail, but avoid rigid thinking. Create supportive environment to make others do what

you want them to do to achieve your goals.

C. Achieve Broad Experience

Many people who land high-ranking positions have broad experience obtained at one or more employers.

Workers who follow the new model of career advancement are automatically achieving broad experience. A

major benefit of broad experience is that you achieve more career portability, therefore being able to move

to another employer will be possible. Broad horizontal experiences are more valuable than vertical

experiences.

D. Be Visible

People should notice what you are doing. Your accomplishments will make you noticeable. A big career

booster for many people is to call favorable attention to themselves and their accomplishments. Ways of

gaining visibility include performing well on committee assignments, and distinguishing yourself in a

community activity. Visibility leads to being noticed by an important person.

E. Find a Mentor

Mentors are visionary people who can guide their mentees through their past experiences. Most successful

people have had one or more mentors during their career. A mentor is a more experienced person who

guides, teaches, and coaches another individual. Mentors are usually superiors, but can also be peers and

even lower-ranking individuals. The mentor serves as a positive model and a trusted friend.

F. Manage Luck

Future is in your own hands. Control your future by your hard work. To be lucky you have to clarify what

you want, and then recognize an opportunity. Manage luck to some extent by recognizing opportunities and

taking advantage of them. The founder of McDonald's said: "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you

sweat, the luckier you get."

G. Balance Your Life

Do not sacrifice your family for your career, neither your career for your personal life. Having balance gives

you additional energy and vitality which will help you in your career. Without balance, a career person runs

the risk of burnout and feeling that work is not worthwhile.

Developing your network skill

Developing a network of contacts is the most favored approach to career advancement. People in your

network can help you get promoted, solve problems, and can serve as customers and suppliers. A

recommended approach to networking is to keep a list of at least 25 people whom you contact at least once

a month, even by e-mail, SMS, or phone call. A substantial amount of social networking also takes place on

the Internet. Cyber networking includes newsgroups, mailing lists, chat rooms, and e-mail.

Dealing with hidden barriers to your advancement

Concern exists that many women as well as men are held back from high-level promotions by the glass

ceiling, an invisible but difficult-to-penetrate barrier to promotion based on subtle attitudes and prejudices.

To overcome these barriers, patience is recommended because barriers to advancement are eroding slowly.

As women and minorities gain experience in line positions, the glass ceiling might be shattered.

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A subtle barrier to advancement many hard-working, talented people face is that they are considered too

good to transfer or promote by their boss. The manager wants to keep that key player in his or her

department. Networking with higher ups can facilitate being transferred.

Another strategy for overcoming barriers to advancement is to enthusiastically apply all of the approaches

learnt earlier. Personal goals should be incorporated into a career path to strive for a meshing of work and

personal life. Contingency plans should be established because career planning contains uncertainty.

References:

Dubrin, A.J. (2005). Human Relations: Career and Personal Success. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey,

07458.

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