potential employer is to learn as much as possible about the company

before going into the interview. Are there recent mergers or

expansions

into other countries? LexisNexis, software that is available through

many public libraries, is one of the best sources of company news.

Also, the reference librarian at any local library can point the way

to a variety of directories that are packed with information

concerning

every industry.

differently from everyone else? Job search techniques aren’t written

in stone. "Despite what they may say in books, there aren’t just

10 ways to look for a job," says Chorbajian. "If you have

an idea, try it out. If doesn’t work, or if you think it can work

more effectively some other way, do it differently next time. By being

creative you increase the chances that you’re going to catch someone’s

eye."

do this, and it actually worked for me," says Chorbajian.

"About

seven years ago I obtained an interview in an industry that I had

no experience with. I made up a marketing flier for myself and sent

it to the chairman of the company. I then followed it up with about

five phone calls over a two-month period, and they finally said `okay,

you can come in for an interview.’"

job seekers need to be aware that they are being judged from the

moment

they walk through the door. It is important to exude an aura of

professionalism

from the initial handshakes straight through to the drive out of the

parking lot. Remember that perception is everything.

difficult questions that may raise their defense shields, such as

the reasons why they left a particular job. "It is important to

maintain a poker face," says Chorbajian. "Keep your emotions

off of your face, pause before you speak, and then speak in a calmly

modulated tone."

job, even in this tight economy it is possible to increase the odds

a bit in one’s favor. A solid resume, strong preparation, professional

presentation, the ability to convey a sense of competence, as well

as maintaining a willingness to learn from one’s mistakes, all can

certainly help make the eventual success more likely.

— Jack Florek

Top Of Page
Personal Style Equals Leadership Style

Green or gold? Red or blue? It can make all the

difference

in leadership style. Shoya Zichy sorts leaders into personality

type, and assigns each group a color. Zichy herself, head of

Manhattan-based

Zichy Associates, an executive coaching and consulting firm, is a

green. Greens comprise 17 percent of the population and tend to be

charismatic, enthusiastic spokespersons for their organizations, with

an ability to sweep others into their causes. Famous greens include

Oprah Winfrey, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Ghandi.

Zichy has devised a personality toolkit based on the work of Carl

Jung, the Myers-Briggs family, and David Keirsey, author of the

Character

Sorter and the Personality Sorter (available online at

www.advisorteam.com).

Knowing and understanding personality type, she says, provides

benefits

in work relationships, career choices, money management, and

leadership.

Zichy speaks on a panel addressing "Business Leadership in

Uncertain

Times" at a joint meeting of the Human Resources Management

Association

and the Institute of Management Consultants-Princeton on Monday,

December

10, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency. Other speakers are Sarajane

Zichy, author of Women and the Leadership Q, finds golds are the

bedrock

of business life. Making up 46 percent of the population, they value

procedures, respect the chain of command, and "have finely tuned

systems for everything from raising children to running large

divisions."

Famous golds include George and Barbara Bush, Dan Rather, and Queen

Elizabeth.

Providing the spark in corporate corridors are the reds, who are

action-oriented,

spontaneous, and impulsive. Work must be fun for these free spirits.

They resist schedules and hierarchies and aren’t too big on planning,

but they excel at handling crises. Famous reds include former Governor

Christie Whitman, Bill Clinton, and Madonna.

It is the blues who see the big picture. Theoretical, competitive,

and always driven to acquire more knowledge, they seek learning for

its own sake, and are driven to challenge and test ideas and

authority.

Blues are visionary and do best in positions requiring strategic

thinking.

In her book, Zichy provides self-assessment tools along with

interviews

of a number of individuals in each personality group. In this excerpt,

she writes about personality features, cutting across type, that limit

the maximization of leadership potential:

PEOPLE ARE OFTEN UNAWARE of what can be termed "sag

factors," which cause motivation to droop and languish. We may

think of the leadership profiles as having a stainless-steel quality,

with leaders who are undaunted, consistent, self-disciplined, and

highly motivated. What you need to remember is that these are

descriptions

of highly developed examples of particular leadership types. In your

quest to develop your own leadership style, you may need to work

through

some sag factors while maintaining a vision of your peak performance.

There are different degrees of sag factors. Often people are unaware

that they are projecting their inner landscapes onto the outer world.

Many people can be highly functional and still be limited by these

traits. Insight is the first step toward positive change. Keeping

an open mind about the relevance of some of these sag factors in your

life will give you an opportunity for growth. To help you further,

this discussion culminates in a spot-check survey that will allow

you to determine the extent to which your sag factors need to be

addressed.

mood? Many highly functional people do not realize their thinking

is tainted by depression or by anxiety and its close relative, fear.

This does not fit the self-image of a confident and self-reliant

leader,

yet to a certain degree and in some circumstances many people are

afflicted by doubt, negativity, and fear.

For our ancestors, fear was associated with survival. The modern

descendant

of fear is worry. Perhaps that is why it is often a very strong

reaction.

For many people, however, the worry and anxiety to which they are

subject far outweigh their usefulness. In fact, they hinder decision

making and engender ambivalence and stress after decisions are made.

Anxiety is experienced as "the dread that something bad will

happen,"

whether to one’s plans, one’s children, one’s money, or the world

at large. Some people even believe that worrying prevents bad

outcomes.

At its worst a person beset by anxiety may be unable to act in the

midst of uncertainty or ambiguity. A worried leader can create a

culture

of worry that inhibits optimism and the belief in the creative

potential

of others that is necessary for effective leadership. This rules out

the possibility of the leader giving people the benefit of the doubt,

trusting and empowering them to show initiative.

the view you harbor of yourself: bright, dull, pretty, fat, competent,

don’t have what it takes. It’s not that these terms are at the surface

of your mind but that they subconsciously form a collective

representation

of your assets and liabilities. Self-esteem is inextricably linked

to how you perceive yourself in comparison to others. It’s important

to remember that a sense of self-esteem has different degrees of

objectivity.

Some people always come out higher when they compare themselves to

others; there is no one they would rather be than themselves. This

is a measure of high self-esteem and becomes an automatic trigger

for self-confidence and initiative.

decision, determine a strategy, and request and obtain the resources

necessary to get results. A leader is a doer as well as a planner.

Part of the drag on some leadership decisions occurs when the leader

has not resolved her predecision stresses. This is related to the

ability to set specific goals as opposed to remaining ambivalent.

If ambivalence continues after a decision is made or a goal is set,

it interferes with the leader’s strength of purpose. Decision making

is a way to resolve ambiguity. An effective leader is able to contain,

for herself and others, the anxiety and confusion engendered by the

decision-making process. She is not threatened by the finality of

a decision.

you, how you characteristically respond to emotional challenges, the

"approach, avoid, attack" framework can be instructive. There

is a level of automatic response that people often bring to

situations.

However, this is not as simple as it appears. You can be physically

there and feel and look like you are in the approach mode but still

retain huge elements of avoid and attack motivation.

For effective leadership, the approach mode is essential. Behaviors

associated with this mode are those of encouraging, cooperating, and

guiding as well as setting protective limits. A person who can

approach

is confident that problems can be solved. She crosses bridges when

she comes to them. She is not disposed to be guarded or suspicious.

She is calm and open.

The avoid reaction, which can be hidden, is compounded of anger and

fear. Rejection, withdrawal, and manipulation are all avoidance

behaviors.

The anger involved in avoidance can shade into attack. Retaliation,

threats, and coercion appear in the attack mode.

Be aware of how complex your characteristic responses may be. This

framework of approach, avoid, attack is used by Dr. Steven Stosny

to train compassionate parents. It is no accident that many of the

problems you have to deal with in the workplace have deep elements

of the reenactment of family dynamics.

in a positive way is a critical leadership quality. No matter what

cards are dealt, the leader holds her own and plays the hand as well

as she can. Her optimism and self-esteem buoy her ability to create

new opportunities and move on. This scrappy, "can’t be

stopped"

quality allows the leader to find steppingstones and new directions

where others would give up.

Many of the leaders described situations in their lives where they

assessed that they could not win. They were able to make plans to

move on. Change is not easy, and the sag factor here is that many

people stay in ruts, deny the reality of the situation, and are more

afraid of the risk of change than of stagnation. Leaders can move.

What is important here is that both of these factors have to do with

conquering fear and anxiety while maintaining a positive

perspective.The

sag factor is not being able to meet setbacks in an effective manner.

a pat on the back for taking the time to learn about leadership and

perhaps commit yourself to lifelong growth as a value. Many small

steps consistently taken over time are the way to significant change.

It’s your life. Take ownership of it.

Corrections or additions?

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