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JOBS EFGHI H SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 Bossing 101: Value employees, and lead by example How do I become an effective
boss? This is a question I have wrestled with for the past several months. Until recently, I have not had anyone directly reporting to me. I have worked more or less independently or on a non-hierarchical team for most of my professional life. I have come to recognize that being good at what I do and having the ability to get along well with others are not enough. How do I go about learning how to get the most out of those who report to me as I help them to grow? What are some traits of top-performing or “good” bosses?
Being a good manager is a
rigorous task that demands a significant personal investment, self-analysis and periodic reassessment to ensure that you remain on track. As you astutely note, technical competency and people skills do not automatically make a good manager. They are, however, a good start. I have certainly heard stories of
gruff or socially awkward people who manage to motivate and inspire employees through their dedication and hard work. Generally speaking, however, it is the affable who tend to excel at being a boss. And it is the managers who lead by their example of professional excellence who most easily win — and retain — the respect of employees. If you are good at your job and
play well with others, therefore, you enjoy a sizable edge. But the making of a great boss remains a mysterious alchemy. If the circumstances are right, if the team is cohesive, if the personalities click, if the competencies are complementary, then everything can come up golden. If the chemistry of the situation is wrong, however, even the most devoted student of the bookstore business section might be destined to failure. With that, I can enumerate a few
HOW TO DEAL Lily Garcia
CHRIS GASH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
basic habits that will generally produce a happier, more motivated and effective group of employees. Value your employees. And show it. Employees thrive on feeling that they are heard. Ask your employees what they think and carefully consider what they say. If you decide that an idea is not worth implementing, explain why. If you make business decisions based upon an employee’s input, give that person credit. Spend one-on-one time with each of your employees reviewing his or her performance and developing a plan for professional growth. Keep a copy of the plan and hold your employee accountable for following through on the steps you have articulated — with your support and guidance. Don’t be a hypocrite. Conduct yourself with at least the same standards of professional behavior and performance that you demand of your employees. Get down into
the trenches and work. Respect your organization’s policies and the law. Follow through on your commitments. Meet deadlines. Come in to work on time and take reasonable lunches. You can squander years of hard-earned goodwill by giving yourself a free pass on an undesirable office obligation or personal sacrifice. I am reminded of a friend whose boss insisted that everyone sign up for a Saturday morning walk-a-thon to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. On the day of the event, the boss attended by speakerphone. Do not follow that example. Be respectful and considerate. How you say things is just as important as what you say. Be mindful of your tone of voice and word choice. Pick the appropriate communication tool and forum for the subject you want to discuss. E-mail is a poor choice for
performance discussions because it does not allow the transmission important non-verbal cues that add subtlety and context to a message. Offer constructive criticism in a private setting to avoid humiliating your employee. Be meticulous about addressing performance problems without assailing the character of the person. And during any important discussion, give your employees your undivided attention. Place the BlackBerry on vibrate and keep it in your pocket. Bad bosses — bullies, slackers, suck-ups, recognition thieves — generally violate at least one of these rules of conduct. If you follow these rules religiously, which can be admittedly challenging in the high-pressure environment of most workplaces, and you are nice and competent to boot, then I predict great success for you in forming strong and productive relationships with those who work for you. For philosophical elaborations
and refinements, I recommend the business section of your favorite bookstore. But beware of any writer who promises you the managerial equivalent of a bikini body by summer. Managing people the right way is not easy. It is frustrating, tedious, sometimes tiresome work that requires the type of patience and dedication that can only come from a passion for the work. If you do not live for the thrill of watching an employee transform from disengaged to inspired or the satisfaction of watching a team coalesce into one efficient, masterful organism, then management is not for you. I, therefore, leave you with one
final rule: Do it for love, or do something else.
Lily Garcia has advised companies on employment law and human resources for more than 10 years.
FEDERAL JOBS
Justification letter can help in seeking a higher salary Derrick T. Dortch, president of the Diversa
Group, is a career counselor who specializes in government job searches and military transi- tion. This is adapted from a recent chat at
washingtonpost.com.
Salary negotiation: After receiving a tenta-
tive offer, followed by months of waiting, I have finally received a final job offer. Unfortunately, the salary was well below what I had hoped for. What is the best approach to negotiating higher pay? Is it even possible at this point?
Derrick Dortch: Con-
gratulations on your offer. I deal a lot with this question in my practice. What we like to do is to develop a ”salary justification letter.” Take a look at the salary range stated for this posi- tion when you submitted your application. All feder- al position vacancy an- nouncements will include a salary range, but many people do not write down or keep this in- formation. (Always, when applying to positions, make sure you cut and copy the job announce- ment and e-mail it to yourself or save it on your computer. When an agency calls, you want to be able to refer to that specific job announcement. And it will have critical information such as the salary range.) In the salary justification letter, you can accept the job offer but at the same time indicate that you would like to negotiate the sal- ary. You can say that based on your skill set, ex- perience, education and qualifications you be- lieve that your salary should be what you are re- questing instead of the figure being offered. Then you justify what you are saying by pointing out several reasons in clear bullet points. Send this to the human resources person who can take it to the boss, and the negotiation process be- gins.
PAUL FLEET/BIGSTOCK
I have seen this strategy work a number of times, but on other occasions the agency wouldn’t budge. Be prepared for either answer. Make a strong argument. Many times you can point out things that the agency did not think about when making the initial offer. That’s how you end up winning the negotiation.
U.S. TREASURY INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC CRIMES ADVISORS (BANKING)
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance is recruiting individuals on a competitive basis to serve as Intermittent (part-time) Advisors under the Economic Crimes Program Globally. The persons selected will be hired under personal services contract to work for the Economic Crimes Team Program.
The Economic Crimes Team from Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) has provided training and technical assistance on money laundering countermeasures and financial investigations to financial investigators, bank regulators and prosecutors around the globe. This training and technical assistance has been designed to give financial investigators, financial services sector regulators, and prosecutors the necessary tools to recognize, investigate, and prosecute money laundering, financial crimes, terrorist financing, and related activity.
QUALIFICATIONS: Treasury is seeking candidates with extensive experience, expertise, and knowledge in conducting anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing examinations in banks and other financial services providers. Only candidates with experience as a bank examiner (for the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, NCUA or OTS) with experience in the federal examination of financial institutions will be considered.
All candidates should have had extensive experience in the supervision of these types of examinations as well as practical experience in the examination process designed to detect, investigate, and prosecute federal white collar crime, organized crime, and corruption cases. Specific skills should include the ability to identify money laundering, terrorist financing, and financial fraud; extensive knowledge regarding forensic accounting, asset identification and forfeiture, regulatory oversight and enforcement; and working with financial intelligence units to coordinate anti-money laundering and anti- terrorist financing efforts. The successful candidate will possess basic consulting skills related to management and organizational development. Candidates should possess superior written, analytical and negotiating skills; should be able to work with diverse partners that have varying and often conflicting interests; and, should be able to apply modern technologies where appropriate. Prior overseas experience working or training in challenging environments is an extremely helpful factor and should be highlighted, but is not mandatory.
Candidates must be U.S. citizens.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Salaries will be negotiated in accordance with program regulations based on
demonstrated salary history. The salary ranges are from $123,758 to $165,300. Overseas benefits are provided when applicable as allowed by Federal regulations. Successful applicants will be subject to a security background investigation at the appropriate level and medical clearances. This announcement is open and continuous until December 31, 2010, although selections may be made in advance of that date. Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume or OF-612 by e-mail to:
recruitment@ota.treas.gov by mail to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, Office of Technical Assistance: Attn: Recruitment Coordinator, 4th Floor 740 15th Street, N.W.,Washington, DC 20220. You must reference Solicitation Number A10-091 on your cover letter, resume or OF-612. No phone calls and no hand carries please. Only applicants to be interviewed will be contacted. If you wish to be considered for this announcement and all future announcements for the Economic Crimes Program you must state so in the cover letter to your application. For application materials, visit our web site at:
www.treasuryota.us andwww.fedbizopps.gov (search by solicitation number A10-091). The OF-612 form can also be found
atwww.opm.gov
The U.S. Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health
KNOW
GOOD TO
The Washington Post’s MEGA Jobs section comes out Sunday, September 12
Take advantage of our MEGA specials today and reach local job seekers in the most widely read Sunday Jobs section!
To learn more, call 202-334-4100
Discover a career at NIH: It’s about Life
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s premier biomedical research institution. Our employees are driven by the NIH mission;
to discover new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose and treat disease and disability. NIH is home to thousands of employees in hundreds of careers, all committed to realizing a common goal of improving life for the nation and the world.
If you are an exceptionally talented, knowledgeable and motivated individual AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the NIH in one of the 27 Institutes and Centers.
We may have a position that is right for you! HEALTH SCIENTIST ADMINISTRATORS
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Gerontology n Oncology n Physiology n
Social Science n Biochemistry n Environmental Science Hematology n
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NIH will be advertising these positions from August 6th to August 20th The salary range for these positions is $74,872 to $136,771 per annum, commensurate with qualifications and professional experience.
For more information, please view the vacancy announcements for the qualification requirements, evaluation criteria, and application instructions (
www.jobs.nih.gov/hsa)
All positions include an excellent Federal Government Benefits Package including health and life insurance, thrift savings plan, retirement, flexible work schedules, and opportunities for professional development.
DHHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers
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