If you’re managing a team of people who have experienced invisible promotions, you need to be strategic in your leadership – and listen to Judy Gray.
Gray is president of the Florida Society of Association Executives and former chief of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.  Her team has several people – including Gray herself – toiling with invisible promotions. She’s exhibit A in my new article in Fortune magazine on managing those heavy loads, but not all of her wisdom fit into that piece on ways workers can make the best of their expanded duties.

Gray had many things to say to managers, who must motivate and keep engaged those who are toiling with their job and another. Her advice works well in tight times but most of it will be just as rewarding even when you can resume the raises.

She believes courage and respect go a long way when all the promotions are invisible ones. “Crisis reveals character – yours and theirs,”  she said. So share the pains and burdens.

Here’s Gray’s five  other choice tips for managers:

1. Be someone they respect. “Dig the well before you are thirsty. It’s easier to hear bad news if the person delivering it has been consistently fair to you over the years,” she said. “Exhibit managerial courage by doing what is right for the organization even when the repercussions can be crushing.” And join the budget diet along with your team.
2. Open the books on your budget and finances. Let the team know your current and future financial prospects. Invite key staff to contribute to developing the budget so they see the challenges. Then give a review of income and expenses at least monthly.  If the numbers are very grim, expect staff departures – and seek to reassure the stars.
3. Give them freedom, skip the micromanaging. If your team is tackling a ton of projects well, don’t watch the clock, don’t ask about three hour lunches that may include personal appointment and don’t nitpick or micromanage. Instead give them freedom to solve problems, set their own schedules and advance toward goals and success in ways that work for them — and you. Her crew has Fridays as work from home days.
4. Appreciate and anticipate. Acknowledge that you are asking for a super-sized contribution. Then express your gratitude in big and small ways during the year – a handwritten thank you note, an afternoon off, being a raving fan with customers, officers, board members and their family members, or making a personal donation in their name to a charity of their choice.  Be supportive of their needs. Adjust deadlines if they need it. Ask often how you can help them.  And be clear that when good times come again, you will remember their sacrifice. It’s so important to communicate intent.  Let them know that when the money comes available, you will do what you can to make them whole.
5. Expect some to leave. You value your team and give them as much as you can, yet some are destined for greater glory. So be prepared for some to depart now or eventually. When they do they may have gained enough experience to land a leadership job elsewhere – and be a valuable ally to you from their new gig.

The truth is no matter how hard you try, some staffers will grumble and groan and drag their feet when they are asked to take on more. Those are the ones who are unlikely to get a real promotion – and who may not even deserve to hold onto their job. .So use the tighter times  to rid your staff of the passively aggressive people and others who poison the culture, and come up with some creative ways to engage and reward those who are really promotion material.

To hear more from Judy, check out the Florida Society for Association Executives newsletter, which she now edits. Or follow the organization on Twitter .

My Fortune article on managing the invisible promotion is in the Feb. 7 issue, and just went online today. Let me know how you’re handling your invisible promotion and what tactics work for you.

It’s tougher to win a promotion lately but easier to wear yourself out with an “invisible promotion.”
My new Fortune magazine piece looks at how workers can be saddled with extra tasks and new responsibilities with no increase in pay – and what they can do about it.
Now a new report shows employers promoted fewer people in the latest year from their normal advancement patterns. Only 7 percent of workers received a promotion in the latest year, down from 8.1 percent norm, according to a World at Work study of promotions. Thats a statistically significant difference, and it may relate to tighter economic times.
My Fortune piece has plenty of advice for workers stuck with an invisible promotion and a heavy workload. One piece that stands out: “Ultimately you have to move…. You will have to change jobs to monetize your strong performance,” said executive coach and author Donald Asher. If you really love your current colleagues and workplace, use the offer as leverage for a counteroffer to raise your pay and get the advancement you deserve where you are.
Not everyone will want to leave however, so consider the light shed by the new World at Work survey of 720 employers that are members of the nonprofit organization:

• Almost two-thirds of organizations only share their promotions policies or guidelines when asked for them by a worker. So go to HR and discover how it works.
• Half of employers expect newly hired workers to be in their job for six months to a year before seeking a promotion. After that, though, six in 10 have no limit on the timing between promotions. This means you need to take some time initial to prove yourself, then feel free to seek advancement twice in two years if the jobs seem ideal for you and your career path.
• Salaried staff received a raise averaging 8.3 percent while executives who were promoted won a 9.5 percent raise. Pay increases ranged from zero to 30 percent in the last year, so negotiate hard for more. Remember: Your increase may not cost your team anything. Almost half of employers budget for promotional pay raises separate from their other pay increases.
• Higher salaries for someone who’s promoted is determined most often by the pay range established for the opening, by rates for others in comparable jobs within the organization and by external pay data. So it helps to obtain the latest compensation surveys by your professional association and to be well connected within your organization as well as outside.
• Many employers are using promotions as ways to motivate and retain their most talented people. The more you understand senior leaders’ mindsets and approach to staff promotion and retention the more you’ll be able to win the game of getting ahead.

New research from LinkedIn shows that promotions in the United States happen most often in January, June and July. Globally, the best month to move up are January, July and September. January is still the best month for promotions, though it’s slowly losing its dominance. But for younger workers advancement is coming throughout the year – not built into certain months, LinkedIn reported.

My Fortune article on managing the invisible promotion is in the Feb. 7 issue and also available online. I’ll add links to the research  by World at Work and LinkedIn.

Check my second part on invisible promotions on this blog. It is especially useful for managers whose staff are toiling with many extra tasks.

They’re the best companies and they want to hire the best people.

So what qualifies as the best? And how do you demonstrate you’re the best, the primo candidate?
And what exactly are recruiters looking for when they are hiring for a Fortune Best Places to Work company?

Twenty-five of them gave some clues – the secrets to what impresses them in the new Fortune list, in the Feb. 7 issue. (Full disclosure: I freelance fairly often for Fortune, including my new article on the “invisible promotion” in that very issue.)
The top traits they identified in their snippets on Fortune’s website include:

• A positive attitude. This could include customer service sensibility, high energy, mutual respect and a work ethic.
• Problem solver. Make that a “relentless problem solver.” Resourceful, “find elegant solutions.”
• Passion for your job. Excited about the job and the company. One talent agent called it “tremendous passion.”
• Communication skills. This consistently shows up on employers lists – and covers written, spoken and online / social media chatter.
• Love of learning. Curiosity. Asking great questions. Do your research on your future employer, several said.
• Collaborative. Teamwork. Collaboration and sharing.
• “Rock star.” “Clear accomplishments.” This also shows up as a deep experience, ability to show how you will add value now and into the future.

A few recruiters also mentioned creativity, professionalism and a candidate’s values matching the employers. This list of course is just a starting point – and many companies give ample clues in their job postings and on the Careers section on their websites.

Two of my favorite quotes from the Fortune package sum up what they’re seeking in their best people, whether they work as software engineers, cashiers and retail managers or sales professionals – among the most prevalent of their thousands of openings.
“We love adaptability, agility and the ability to think beyond today,” Mark Hamberlin, Cisco’s senior HR director, staffing, told Fortune.
Grace Soriano-Abad, NetApp’s top recruiter called it “experience in going above and beyond what’s expected of you.”
Demonstrate those things and show off your rock star, shining-star talents in an area the top companies seek and you’re likely to land in their privileged payroll people.

—–

The top five best companies to work for, according to Fortune’s much-watched list:

1. SAS, a software giant
2. Boston Consulting Group
3. Wegmans Food Markets
4. Google
5. NetApp
6. Other notables in the top 25 include Zappos.com, Recreational Equipment, Cisco, DreamWorks Animation and Whole Foods Markets. Fortune’s full list is easy to slice by location and size and more.

To consider why you need to create a list of your favorite dream employers, read my recent Glassdoor.com blog post.

“Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable.” – English ballerina Margot Fonteyn

We all need a little magic in your lives and in our careers.

It may spring out of the good luck charms we keep on our desks, the angels who watch over us or our own internal magical properties and powers. It could rise up from the good karma we create through our kindness and generosity. It could come through prayer, visualization, The Secret, our creative, best selves or the universe’s powers.  Or perhaps it just shows up, surprising even us or being labeled serendipity or good fortune.

For weeks now I’ve been feeling the powerful pull of writing about magic, of making magic through our jobs and our daily tasks. Magic in so many shapes and colors and approaches.

So I’m giving you, my readers, notice that a string of posts are coming – how many and in what sequence I do not yet know.  You’ll hear from a career coach in Colorado, a life coach and shaman in Indiana and a professional magician among others. I hope to interview a fire juggler and a healer and other professionals who work magic with their hands and their minds. And yes, I’ll share my foray into magic and how it mixes easily with serious journalism.

As I work on these posts, I hope you’ll send me ideas for magical people or topics related to magic at work and in our callings – perhaps from your experience or something you’d like to experience. And waive your wands and your prayers my way too, as I seek to encourage, inspire and create a little magic here and in my pro bono and work projects.

I’ll leave you with this song, performed originally I think by America and sung here by a band called Etcetera, with hopes that it encourages you to do magic.

You Can Do Magic / Etcetera

Magic by Etcetera

“Life is what we make of it. Always has been. Always will be.” – Grandma Moses.

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.” -  Danny Kaye

My picture for myself:  I am thriving and finding so many successes, so many friends and so many adventures and opportunities for travel, generosity, joy and love. Despite a few struggles and slip-ups very occasionally, I live an abundant life and create many good things – stories, articles, seminars, connections, jobs, assistance for those in need.

And I am determined this year to be more intentional in how I live and how I create life day by day. Here’s five ways we each can thrive, no matter what happens to the job market or the profit margins or the economy:

1. Know what you’re the best at; where and how you excel.

Know your niche and use your talents well. Play to your strengths – and make sure everyone sees you shine. A basketball player who scores most of the time and can reach the rim repeatedly doesn’t have to think about defensive play. Likewise, an administrative assistant who keeps office running smoothly and the boss’ key tasks on track will be valued and may even score a raise or bonus.

2.  Feed your mind and your body with goodness.

Choose books and blogs as carefully as you pick out organic vegetables at the farmer’s market.  Recently, I’ve started carving out about 30 to 40 minutes a day (well most days) to read a book. Sometimes I grab some  water or tea and my book and sit in the sunshine. Sometimes I  stay in bed an extra half hour in the morning to read – a luxury that makes me feel like a queen. Books as delicious as vegetarian chili include The Happiness Advantage, The Optimist’s Daughter and The Fifth Agreement.  I’m savoring more poetry and a few novels too, along with winter squash and greens.

3. Develop diverse friendships.

These people serve as the fruit trees to your life. Certainly you want peaches and apples, raspberries, oranges and grapes. So find friends at work and while volunteering. On grow them on BrazenCareerist or LinkedIn, in a  writers group or chance encounter at a coffee shop. Once I met one while walking around my new neighborhood.  Then make sure you give them all the support, encouragement and assistance they need – so when your needs spike they already feel connected enough to assist you.

4. Cultivate curiosity, creativity and adaptability.

Curiosity is the triplet that grew up with creativity and appreciating or at least accepting change, key traits in today’s work world. All three will make you better, more informed and more likely to spot opportunities for yourself and your employer.  Curiosity also will encourage you to ask questions, to look beyond the obvious and to unearth information and insights.

Adaptability serves us well in these unsettled times. “We’re in the midst of this vast transformation. No one can see the outcome,” said M.J. Ryan, author of an excellent book called AdaptAbility. More from her soon on Glassdoor.com . (LINK) So be open and flexible and as Ryan suggests, look for ways to marshall your resources and focus your energies not on the past but on your future plans. And creativity in life and in solution-getting can make stones sing and problems disappear.

5.  Seek a second or third stream of income.

You may feel you have the most steady, reliable job in the world. But so did auto workers not so long ago or the staff at Aon and Hewitt Associates until their merger knocked 1,800 people out of jobs. So start thinking of yourself as a slash careerist – someone who has two or three jobs that bring satisfaction and income. And begin now to develop your second source of funds – something you can manage in your off hours. Seek ads for your popular blog or offer to work weekends for a real estate agent handling all the foreclosed homes. Help a friend with her start-up. Work as a waitress on Saturday nights. Crochet scarves; sell them on etsy or at a local farmers market.  Pray and plan that Mity Nice will make a profit this year. Someday this second income may be your primary source of living expenses. Or maybe your hobby business will grow into the real deal. Or perhaps your favorite cousin will need work and you’ll be able to train her to crochet the hats that match your scarves.

To be sure, there are other ways to brew thriving like you would a good cup of tea. So start your own list of habits and goals that will stir up a drink of life’s elixir as you stroll Abundance Lane or speed along Thrive Highway.

MORE INFORMATION:

M.J. Ryan’s books and blog are on my highly recommended lists.

I’m just starting to explore GoodReads, but I think it could be a rich resource.

Money Under 30 has 10 good tips for making moonlighting work.