Dondi Scumaci Blog

I have a daughter who graduated from college recently and it took her a while to find a job. My wife and I prayed about a job for her and now she is working for a large international organization. I plan to get her your Designed for Success book. Should I get her anything else?

H.K.

Congratulations! These are marvelous achievements and brilliant beginnings. I cannot tell you how many women have said, “I wish someone had put this book, this information in my hands when I was graduating and starting my career!” When you give Designed for Success, you are not giving a book. You are giving a chest filled with tools, and I am confident tools in the right hands can build marvelous things!

 To accompany Designed, I would buy a pack of Moleskin journals and encourage her to fill them with her ideas, thoughts, and dreams. In these journals she can design her life, capture wisdom, and mark the milestones. Along with the book and the journals, I might throw in a great pair of black pumps with a note reminding your daughter that she is absolutely Designed for Success!

As I’d mentioned earlier this week, we’ve been receiving a lot of “Ask Dondi” emails every day. This week we’re going to tackle some of them. Don’t forget, if you have submitted an “Ask Dondi” question, watch for the question and the answer here. Thank you for keeping the lines of communication open and for sharing your questions with me.

Audrey said: Greetings Dondi! I recently saw you on John Hagee Ministries. I purchased your book today. I was really enlightened by some things you spoke about. How can I hear more about the purpose of mentoring and why our success is vital to having mentors?

I am passionate about mentoring because I believe it is one of the most important strategies for personal and professional development available to us. Through mentoring we prepare for our next steps and we make the most of the step we’re on. Mentoring builds the heart and forges confidence. It is personalized development in action! I often say life should come with the disclaimer, “Do not attempt any of this alone!”

The impact of mentoring is undeniable - for individuals and organizations. Organizations committed to mentoring report the ability to manage change more effectively, prepare future leaders, and attract the best people. When organizations make the investment in formal mentoring programs, they fully expect to see results like these:

• Improved job satisfaction
• Increased retention
• Improved job performance
• Higher quality and productivity
• Employees ready to take the next career step
• Stronger sense of community
• Employees taking personal responsibility for their professional development

From the perspective of those mentored, the benefits are also striking. People who have been mentored tend to earn more and they are promoted faster. Both of these outcomes may be related to the process of mentoring which focuses on developing a solid career plan and building a strong professional network. Mentoring “plugs” individuals into the organization and makes professional development a personal priority.

Mentees or proteges are generally exposed to a broader organizational perspective. They are made more visible and they are able to market themselves more effectively. They see how all pieces fit together to form the big picture. This allows them to build strong networks, break through functional barriers and have a greater impact.

Mary wrote: How often should you motivate your team?

I encourage you to view motivation as a value versus an event. That means motivated is something we “are” rather than something we “do.” It’s not what you do that will be the most important thing; it’s what is created inside of people by what you do (or don’t do). As a leader look for ways to promote:

• Learning and growth
• A sense of personal achievement
• Confidence and self-esteem
• Ownership and commitment
• Opportunities to demonstrate special knowledge or expertise

To foster these attributes on your team you may assign challenging tasks that ask people to stretch, make progress and improvement more visible, reinforce and celebrate what is working well, get people involved by asking for their advice and their opinions, and find ways to let people shine.

I would also look for and respond quickly to what frustrates your team. If you can’t fix it, acknowledge the frustration and refocus your group on what they can impact. Sometimes people get lost in the things they cannot personally change and this will steal their strength and energy. We can’t ignore what isn’t working well but we need to maintain a rigorous focus on the action we can take and the impact we can have. In Designed for Success, you will find more ways to empower yourself and others with personal accountability.

My best to you as you make motivation an element of your culture.

Since the release of the book, I’ve been receiving emails from all over the globe with people asking questions about their workplace situations. Throughout this week I’m going to be sharing some of the questions I have received and my answers. I hope that you are blessed, uplifted, and able to use some of this knowledge for yourselves!

Chu wrote: How can I be a good team player in my work place?
 It has been said the quality of your life will be determined to a great extent by the questions you ask. The fact that you are searching for ways to be a better team member says a great deal about you, and I applaud the question! Here are 5 things you can do right now to add value to your team:

1. Find ways to make it easier for people to do business with you. For example, do you have information that others need to do their jobs? Can you make it easier for them to find and use that information? If you have trouble coming up with ideas, ask the people you work for and with, “How can I make it easier for you to do business with me?”

2. Understand how your work impacts the work of others. Find those connections between your work and the work of your colleagues. Are there log jams, miscommunications, or breakdowns in the process? Work with your teammates to identify and implement solutions.

3. Understand the goals of your teammates. Is there something you can do to help them be more successful?

4. Speak to issues, not about them. If you have a problem with someone on the team, make sure they hear it from you. This builds trust and credibility.

5. Invest yourself in team accomplishments, become a shareholder in success. Commandment Five in Designed for Success is, “Lead from Your Current Position.” Here you will find more high-impact ideas that will help you become a more valuable team member. I also encourage you to ask your boss the question you have asked me. I’m betting he or she will be as impressed as I am with the question. I would love to hear what you try and how it turns out!

Diana asked: How do I get the raise that I deserve?
Remember, we are not paid what we are worth. We are paid what we believe we are worth and what we negotiate for. Negotiating for more money begins with
assessing the value you bring, marketing your results, and preparing your “script.” Steps like these will help you prepare to negotiate with confidence:

1. Quantify your results if you can. It is not what you did that brings real value to the organization; *it is the difference you made*. Be prepared to
talk about the difference you are making in quantifiable terms. Have you saved the organization money or time? Have you improved a process or
implemented a new idea? What solutions have you created, and how have these solutions impacted the bottom line?

2. How have you grown? What skills have you added to yourself? How are you applying new skills and knowledge? 3. What are you asking for? In addition to money, are there other things you would like to include in the negotiation? Will you ask for more challenging
assignments, more authority, or more flexibility in your schedule?

4. Review your job description to determine ways you are currently exceeding the expectations of your job. You may find that your current job description
does not adequately reflect what you actually do! If that is the case, consider writing a description that more accurately describes your responsibilities and use that a document for discussion in your negotiation.

5. Research your organization’s pay practices. Some companies review salaries once a year. *That doesn’t mean you can’t ask at another time, it does mean you will want to prepare for that objection*. (Asking in advance of the review process is highly recommended! Help your boss plan ahead for your increase!Treat the negotiation as an exchange of value. Highlight the value you bring and confidently ask for value in return. Best of luck to you, and let us know how it turns out.

I love Starbucks coffee. Years of living in Seattle cultivated a love for great coffee. Not just the coffee, but the whole experience of coffee. And yes I am (BARELY) old enough to remember the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market. We used to trek down there on the weekends to buy fish at the now famous FISH! place, buy wonderful fruit and flowers, and coffee. It was a wonderful tradition. 

On March 19^th, Starbucks was featured in the money section of USA Today*. Starbucks has experimented, explored, and experienced tremendous growth. They’ve taken some risks and they’ve learned some lessons. CEO Howard Schultz outlined a new strategy for Starbucks, which includes a “back-to-the-future” approach refocusing on the core business while driving for innovation. As I read the article I couldn’t help but think there are valuable take aways for all of us. We can all learn a lesson or two from Starbucks okay actually six, and here they are:

Return to your core. You dilute your personal brand when you try to be all things to all people. Make sure you are focusing on what drives the most value.

1. Remember who you are! There a lot of talent out there and a lot of competition. What makes you special, unique, and marketable?
2. Practice innovation. How can you improve a process, a product, or make it easier for people to do business with you?
3. Pay attention to the social network. Build your community and make networking a real priority.
4. Find ways to give back. Vest yourself in the causes you care about.
5. Control your growth. It really is possibly to grow too quickly in your career. Master the step you are on before reaching for the next.

Heres to a really good cup of coffee and to your success. You were absolutely designed for it! 

* USA TODAY article by Brian Horovitz.

Public Service Announcement: There is no such thing as job security, so stop looking for it, asking for it, and worrying about it. If that sounds like bad news, it really isn’t. Your security doesn’t come from your employer, and it never has.

It is a wonderful moment when you realize that you create your own opportunity by increasing your value. As an employee, you are an asset. Increase your value and opportunity will present itself. I promise. It’s the rule. You know sowing and reaping what you put in, you get out. It may not happen as quickly as you like or even where you are today, but it will absolutely happen. Here are three things you can do to start adding value right now, right where are: 

1. Ask your boss how you can have greater impact. (When I ask bosses if they would appreciate this they say, “Absolutely!” Most of them also say it has never happened. Blow your bosses mind, be the first.)
2. Look for way to add value to everything you do, even to what seems routine and mundane. This is a little like putting “top spin” on the ball. You don’t even have to go the extra mile. Just reach beyond what is expected, and watch your value skyrocket.
3. Make it easier for people to do business with you. Think about your internal and external customers. How can you become a greater resource? How can you save your customers time, make information more accessible, or simplify a process?

In the words of one of my favorite authors Brian Tracy, “The more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire.”You were designed for success and you have tremendous value!

I am very proud to let you all know that “Designed for Success” has sold out of its first print run! That’s right. Less than 60 days from the release date and they’ve already begun a second printing!  It’s a tremendous success and I want to thank each and every one of you who has shown such tremendous support. I appreciate the wonderful reviews, emails, “Ask Dondi” questions and all of the encouragement and input that I have received. I can’t wait to see where we continue to go with this!

Recently, a hiring manager wrote to me with a very interesting observation. She said, “I am screening candidates right now for two regional positions and there is a strong distinction between men who come across so much more confident and eager. They often have a planned strategy for their career where women don’t.” She is reading Designed for Success and found the difference between the male and female candidates very interesting. You’ll notice she did not say the men were brighter or more qualified. The difference was that they came to the table with confidence, energy, and a solid plan. This is a good example of how women can undersell themselves or fail to market themselves effectively. Here are three steps that women can take to make a stronger, more positive impression: 

1. Develop your career plan! Reach into the future at least 5 years, set your goals, and create a roadmap. Your career is one of the most important projects you will ever manage. Treat it like a project by defining your objectives, developing a timeline, and identifying the milestones. This way, when people ask, you’ll be able to share your vision immediately. This alone shows confidence, planning and structure that can be valuable in any situation and would be an asset to a prospective employer or client. 
2. Learn how to tell your stories well. (In Designed for Success you will learn five stories we all need to have on the tip of our tongues and how to market yourself effectively.) Share openly and honestly and with confidence!

3. Confidence can be learned with practice. Even when you don’t feel it you can still portray confidence to those around you. When you find yourself in a low-confidence situation think of the most confident person you know and visualize what she (or he) would do in this situation. She would probably make eye contact and smile. Her posture would be open. She might lean forward to strengthen the connection and use natural gestures. Internally, she would allow herself to be “in the moment,” and she would give herself permission to take a risk.

Even if you don’t feel like that self-assured person, you can do all of the things that he or she would. No one outside yourself ever needs to know (or suspect!) that you aren’t just like that confident person that you pictured in your own mind a few minutes ago.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback on Designed for Success. The response to the interview with John Hagee has been remarkable. What an honor it was to be with Pastor Hagee on the set of John Hagee Today, airing around the world. If you missed the two-day interview, it will air again next week, February 21-22.

I appreciate each of you who have taken the time to comment. Your questions are also right on the mark. Many of you have asked about mentoring specifically, and I am delighted to address those questions here. First, if you don’t have a mentor, make 2008 the year to find one! Mentoring is by far one of the most powerful things you can do for your career (and your sanity). We are designed for success, but we are not designed to go it alone! Our lives should come with that disclaimer. Do not attempt any of this alone! A good mentor is a sounding board, a trusted advisor, and visionary. This is someone who can help you sort it out, find opportunity inside challenge, and craft your professional development. Ask the most successful people; they can point to mentors who have helped them achieve the level of success they currently enjoy. Several of you asked how to choose a good mentor, or what is the ‘criteria’ you should consider when selecting a mentor. Here are a few things you may want to consider. Good mentors:

• Believe in personal growth. They are growing and learning; development is a core value.
• Possess excellent communication skills.
• Are trustworthy.
• Have achieved a level of success or accomplishment you aspire to.
• Help you make important discoveries and find your blind spots. 
• Rather than lending you their judgment, they assist you in developing your own.
• Are willing to invest themselves in the success of others.
• Have an excellent reputation, marked by integrity.
• Are authentic. They are willing to share what they have learned from success and failure.

Who in your personal or professional life meets these criteria? I encourage you to ‘test drive’ a mentor. Run a challenge you are currently facing by them. Ask their opinion about an opportunity. Learn from their experience by asking questions. What has been their greatest career lesson or most notable achievement? What skills did they consciously work to develop and master? What challenges have they faced, and how did they overcome those? What do they value, and how do they reflect and honor those values in their work? How has mentoring impacted them? As you look for a mentor, remember to be one. As you reach forward with one hand, reach back with another and bring someone along. You may have the answer someone else is looking for. Invest yourself in others. It is such a pleasure to watch another person ‘become.’ Stayed tuned for more of the mentoring discussion! We will explore this topic more fully in the days to come. In the meantime, if you have a specific question, please post it! Many of you shared such positive feedback about Designed for Success. Thank you for that! Please go to amazon.com and give us a review! Thank you in advance for helping us share Designed for Success with the world.

Designed for Success officially released on January 2, and I’m thrilled to say that it’s building tremendous momentum on all levels! Currently, it’s sitting in the top five bestsellers at Amazon.com for women in business, education and counseling and vocational guidance. This success has shown what we’ve always known: women in the workplace are a force to be reckoned with. Designed for Success has opened the dialogue with women in the workplace and around the world. The discussion is marvelous and I’m excited to have you join us. I am constantly fascinated by the differences between men and women in the workplace - how they approach opportunity, respond to obstacles, and use resources.

I am always looking for examples of these differences and the current television series “Celebrity Apprentice” is rich with them! If you are following the series, you know that in each episode a team of female celebrities is competing with male celebrities in a marketing contest. As of last week the women have lost 4 out of 4 contests! Why are the women losing so consistently? I’d love to hear your take on this, and to start the discussion, I’ll toss in this observation:The men are good at engaging and leveraging their network. In the first episode, only one of the female team members consciously leveraged her contacts. She was personally responsible for most of the money raised “marketing hotdogs” on the streets of NYC. While her teammates were selling hotdogs for $1, she was dialing her contacts asking for $5,000! The real insight comes from a teammate’s comment, “Thank God! Not all of us have contacts like that!” Bingo! That contest ended with one of the women hearing Donald Trump’s famous line, “You’re Fired!” with the reason being that she had consciously refused to use her contacts. She wanted to ’save’ her resources!! Designed for Success encourages you to develop a strong network. It also asks the very important question, “Will your net hold?”I encourage you to think about your network and how to make it bigger and stronger and more powerful. Who is on the list (and what have you done for
them lately)? More importantly, who should be on the list (and what is your plan to make that contact)?  What are your thoughts on all of this? Careers, networking, even the Celebrity Apprentice! I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a line with feedback, support, or questions at www.dondiscumaci.com. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life came with a personal navigation system? I love the idea of a friendly voice saying, “Prepare to turn ahead.” If you missed an opportunity or made a career-limiting move the (ever-so-friendly) voice would say, “Recalculating route” or “prepare to turn”. Imagine hearing the words, “You have arrived!”  I love this idea! Unfortunately, until life comes fully loaded with GPS, we have to create our own compass with the tools available. These navigation tools are communication, negotiation, extreme initiative, a strong sense of purpose and a personal brand. These tools and more are available to you, and we will explore them here.Welcome to my blog. I’m very happy that you stopped by. And now, let’s go. It’s time to start the journey!