Frances Horibe's

Preventing the Slide out of the Elite Group In the last post, we discussed whether you were being ousted from your work’s in-group elite. This post is about how to prevent the slide if you can. Verifying your status in the elite Before you panic, you need to confirm that you are actually on the way out. Don’t talk to your boss. I know it’s the most direct route—he’s the one who creates the elite. But think a moment. Suppose you say: “Hey, boss, I would have liked a heads-up about the Merkling merger.” Will he say, “Yeah, I didn’t because you’re not my go-to guy anymore.”? More likely is an omg or an embarrassed and stumbling justification why you didn’t need to know. If you believe the omg, things go back to normal. If you don’t, all you’ve done is raise something most people like to keep underground. Not a good way to stay in. Ask a trusted colleague? You might have luck here, but the colleague has to be practically family. The colleague might be reluctant to pass on unpalatable news or risk her own standing if the boss finds out she has done so. Unless you’ve got…

Are You Out of the Clique? Yes, I know there shouldn’t be a clique at work or an in-group of any kind. But there often is, so deal. As I outlined previously, whether you are in or out can materially affect the progress of your career. Even if you’d rather not play this game, you at least need to know the signals so you can decide whether to pay attention. How to know if you are on your way out of the clique This can be subtle and may turn on a seemingly innocuous moment. This is not exhaustive, but here are some signs: You hear about things late. We all occasionally find out important things later than optimal. Nobody told you the critical report has been delayed three weeks. This should be easily addressed. If you speak to the forgetter and you get an “Omg, I should have told you. Sorry, won’t happen again,” you can probably chalk it up to what it seems—an honest mistake. But if this starts happening frequently and possibly from different sources, even if you get the omg thing, something may be up. Your suspicion radar should be beeping if, on confronting the ‘forgetter,’…

Are You in the Gang at Work? Being Part of the Gang or Not Being part of a gang is a fun thing growing up but companies don’t like admit they exist at work—it conflicts with the one-big-happy-family thing they have going. They want to believe that everybody is equally valued and there are no first among equals. But, of course, organizations are set up exactly that way. There are in-groups at every level of a hierarchy, usually consisting of the boss and some of his immediate subordinates. So your boss is in more of an in-group than you by virtue of his position.   So, in-groups abound, most centered around the boss. (I’ll deal with peer-centered in-groups later). Being part of one can bring many benefits. So, my first question is: Are you in the gang? This might seem a silly question but sometimes people don’t know. You are usually part of the in-group[1] if: You’re the boss’ go-to guy. If you hear what’s coming down the pipe first and particularly if the boss asks your opinion of the new development, you’re probably in the in-group. But we need to distinguish between expert opinion and judgment opinion. Your boss…

Are There Factions at Work? It’s a silly question to some If you have a boss who clearly favors some subordinates, and especially if you’re not one of the chosen, this seems a silly question. It’s as plain as the nose on your face that factions, at least an in-group and an out-group, exist. But for those either new to work or to the concept, it can be hard to tell. Are there factions at work? There probably are. It’s just human nature for the boss to turn to people who’ve been with her a while, or whose judgment she values. So, factions are created—an in-group and then the rest of us. But an in-group is not as important as whether its special status affects your ability to do good work and be respected for it. Here are some ways to assess this: If you see a couple of the in-group talking, do you feel free to go up and ask, “What’s up?” Do they respond by including you in the discussion? Or do you have to be sure it’s a non-work exchange before you break in? If something happens you don’t like, can you say it directly to the…

Demonstrate Your Promotability In the last post, we discussed being in a joe job—that is, being underemployed where you are not able to use the full range of your skills and abilities. However, one of the best ways out is to demonstrate your promotability.  Doing that can get you a reference from this job which sets you up for the one you really want. The descriptors you want your supervisor to use in a reference are: Enthusiastic Has initiative Bright Hard-working Responsible   This table below demonstrates how each of these could play out in a work context. Demonstrating your promotability Trait NOT: You’re going for: Example Enthusiastic Gosh, everything is great. The people are so great. The products are outstanding. No wonder they sell so well. Adding value in your comment I think this product would be useful to younger people, too. They wouldn’t need it to lighten the load but might appreciate its convenience. Has initiative I know we’re not supposed to do it that way, but it’s stupid. My way is much better. Suggesting changes before implementing I notice we get backed up when there are a lot of customers. I could pack the purchases for everyone…