work Archives - Donn Durante

[Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse]

It’s early Monday morning as I write this. For those with a traditional Monday-to-Friday work week, how you feel about getting back to work can tell you a lot. Just depends on whether or not you care to listen. Ideally, everyone would be raring to go, excited to return to a current project they’re working on, or simply looking forward to the unknown challenges of a new week. On the other hand, if you’re one of the many who have the Monday Blues, don’t complain about it. There’s a cure.

You could quit. I know that sounds extreme, maybe even unthinkable, but it’s true. You always have that choice. It’s rarely practical, but the option is always there. I don’t necessarily recommend it. We all have bills to pay and if you’re highly dependent on the income, that wouldn’t be a move to make hastily.

That said, it’s something to consider if you’re not excited to go back to work at the beginning of every week. That’s a sign that you should heed. Life is too short not to. So how would you do it?

You could do it in stages, or go all in and take a leap of faith. Hopefully, you’ve been good about managing your finances and making contingency plans. With the right things in place, it becomes more about timing. Timing is an art in itself so don’t hesitate too much. When ready, have confidence and move forward, knowing you’ve done everything you can to be smart about it.

Applying The Hedgehog Concept Outside of Work

What to do is a different, but important, question. Personally, I’ve applied the Hedgehog Concept to help me decide. Find a career or choose a business where the three circles below intersect. If you haven’t read Good to Great by Jim Collins, click through the illustration below for further background on The Hedgehog Concept as it applies to career choices.

To maintain multiple streams of income, I take this approach in parallel ― not as a substitution or replacement for what I’m already doing. This means focusing most of my time on the primary economic drivers while still committing to my extracurricular activities “off the clock.” Only when there are multiple initiatives in play do I consider quitting whatever contributes least to my overall happiness.

Start with Your Interests and Make Time For Them

This is one thing that works for me and what I’m suggesting to you. Set aside regular time each week to work on a hobby you love. For some, it’s trying new recipes in the kitchen. For others, it’s blogging. For me, it happens to be spinning music as a DJ.

Whatever your hobby is, it’s important to make time for it despite the many demands on your already busy schedule. Avoid being lazy or making excuses.

I started DJing over 30 years ago while still in high school. Even though I usually get paid for it, I’ve continued to do it on and off simply because it’s fun. I love music and blending songs in creative ways. To see a packed dance floor of people letting loose, because of the music set I’m playing, is an incredible high. (At the end of this post, you can listen to a mini-mix I uploaded to SoundCloud.)

Last week, I volunteered to DJ a party for the school where my kids attend. Since I agreed to DJ a few weeks earlier, I had reason to dust off the equipment again and practice. It was like time-traveling to the past when I was a resident DJ at a club in college. I used to practice new sets all the time, imagining how the dance floor would react and looking for ways to put my personal signature on the mix. Over the past 3 weeks, I got lost in hours planning possible sets that incorporated the song requests I received in advance. Then I recorded the sets to listen to how the ideas actually came together. I enjoyed every minute of it.

After the gig was over, I remembered how important it is to make time just for the love of it. No need to wait for a reason. Whatever fulfillment I may not be getting from my other undertakings, I’ve found it’s made up in this area. So making the time commitment to my hobby helps provides balance. It has also set me up to succeed when I find opportunities to monetize.

“Study and work in whatever seemingly unrelated areas you are interested in, even if it’s just a hobby. That way, when your dream job/business comes up, you’ll be perfectly and uniquely qualified for it.”

― Sarah Jansen, writer and editor

Where It All Comes Together

Now back to work…Work could be and should be fun. Normally it’s not. That’s why we call it work. So, for now, if you have to work at a job that’s not your calling, but pays the bills, make time outside of work hours to do what you’re deeply passionate about. That might be cooking, writing, DJing…or in my case, all of the above. Perhaps you like to code. Some of you enjoy organizing events or managing side-projects. Doesn’t matter. As you get better and better at your chosen craft, you’ll improve your chances of finding the missing piece and putting it all together ― combining passion and skill with something that can drive your economic engine. Or in other words, creating a part-time gig, or even better, a viable career out of something you love and are also very good at.

I know fitness instructors, magicians, wedding planners, business consultants/owners and of course other DJs who’ve done just that. I’d love to hear if you’ve also managed to make the transition. What were you doing before and what are you doing today? Please leave a comment below.

Let me wrap up this set with a sample music mix created by my alternate persona, DJ ReCreator:

Use the following link if the embedded sound clip doesn’t load: https://soundcloud.com/donn-durante/3d-blend-fancy-champagne-with-shirt-and-tie

You can also see the track list and download this mix for free on MixCrate:
http://www.mixcrate.com/djrecreator/3d-blend-fancy-champagne-with-shirt-and-tie-9203074

Cheers! Here’s to a happy work week!

Today I had my APR. Over the years, I’ve had my share of performance reviews, sometimes called performance appraisals. Some companies never had them. At one employer they were conducted but irregular. Many were very subjective and unstructured. Those didn’t provide much value. In my more recent workplaces, I’ve been fortunate to have had very formal reviews that were well documented and based on performance to measurable metrics. While you may hear arguments against the value of performance appraisals in general, I’ve received valuable feedback when they have been done properly and I’ve used those open conversations to better understand where and how I could improve. Take today for example.

In Review

What I liked about today’s review:

Conducted within the scheduled time-frame for annual reviews. My manager didn’t drag things out or leave me waiting in anticipation.
I had an opportunity to read my written appraisal prior to meeting with my manager.
During the meeting, she gave me her undivided attention even though she had plenty of reasons to be distracted or pulled away.
Her assessment was fair. While my overall rating was above average, it wasn’t exaggerated. I know I have plenty of room for improvement in my current role and the rating reflected that while still being encouraging. It acknowledged where I’ve done well and I feel that my efforts have been recognized.
At the end, she left time for two-way dialogue and gave me plenty of time to voice any feedback I might have. She asked good follow-up questions and we came up with a good game plan on how to tackle some of the current challenges I have. I felt very comfortable to open up and speak freely.
It was meaningful. We weren’t just going through the motions for the sake of having an APR

What could have been better:

Although the outline and process were very structured, metrics were not covered in detail. Most of the discussion focused on subjective behaviors. The one metric that was covered was my weak area, so that part felt a bit skewed.

The whole thing lasted about an hour and we ended on a positive note. I left feeling motivated to work harder and focus more on the right things.

The Other Side of the Table

Throughout my career, I’ve also had my time sitting on the other side of the table. I know firsthand what it takes to prepare properly for annual reviews and the impact it could have for those on the receiving end. Exercising emotional intelligence is crucial. Treating reviews as “one size fits all” is a common mistake.

Lessons Learned

An important lesson I’ve learned over the years is that reviews are less stressful on both sides when expectations are clear from the start, and feedback is provided on a regular basis whether through regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings, or via regular reporting of metrics…actual performance compared to plan/target. If this is done, very little if anything that comes up during a proper review should be a surprise to either side. It becomes just a formal appraisal that is documented and provides a basis for potential merit increases and/or promotions. If a review is more negative than positive and an overall poor rating is inarguable then that simply prompts a decision whether to take more drastic measures or, if possible, to find a better ‘seat on the bus.’

The Right Bus

Finding the right seat on the bus is important, but you have to be on the right busin the first place. Is it going where you want to go? Will you enjoy the ride along the way. Does it make frequent enough stops in case you feel like getting off? As far as employers go, when choosing an organization to work for, I’ve also learned that corporate culture, values and leadership mean much more than the size of the paycheck, the free lunches, or the ping pong table in the game room (though such things are definitely nice to have). Good companies inherently follow best practices for creating a culture that fosters professional growth as well as the bottom line. A healthy environment and playing the right role (given your skills and experience) optimize your chances for success. When the time comes that things no longer align, then it’s a tell-tale sign to get off the bus and move on.

[Original entry written on February 9, 2016]

Questions:

From your experience, what are the primary components of a meaningful and effective performance appraisal?
What’s the most significant outcome you’ve experienced from either giving or receiving a performance review?
For anyone new to the process, what would be your best piece of advice?

Credit for Featured Image: prime-decision.com/behavioural-insight-posts/behavioural-insights-for-hr/

Tag: work

Playing with Your Hedgehog Outside of Work