Author Archives: Larry Janis

How to balance your priorities at work

 

 

 

by Shanna A. Hocking

 

One of the most challenging parts of adjusting from being an individual contributor to becoming a leader is learning how to balance your team’s priorities and needs with your own projects and work.

When I first made this transition many years ago, I believed that always being available for my team was the best way to show team members I valued them. But I found myself getting further behind on my own work. So I would spend evenings at home catching up on my projects. I ended up feeling burned out and pulled in many directions. As I grappled with my own uncertainties about how to “do it all,” I also worried that senior management would determine I wasn’t ready to be a leader after all.

Though many managers feel uncertain about how to simultaneously support their team’s priorities and complete their own work, it’s not something that’s talked about openly. I often remind the senior leaders I coach that the purpose of a team is to achieve more than any one individual can, and that leaders should give themselves the same compassion they offer to their team members.

Learning how to balance your team’s priorities and your own sets you and the team up for success. Here’s what I recommend to effectively manage both aspects of your role:

Communicate consistently with your team

Start by developing a comprehensive understanding of what your team is working on and what they need from you. You can do this through one-on-one meetings with individual team members and collectively through team and project meetings.

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Vice President Sales

 

 

Responsible for cultivating a presence and expanding top line growth for our client delivering a technology solution for multi-unit brands (A brand with 500-5000 locations in North America). This includes identifying new markets to enter, creating strategies to achieve growth targets, and growing the firm’s presence and revenues across specific markets – including New Logo Sales, Account Acquisition and Organic Expansion. Leadership span of control is US based and includes both top line and bottom-line financial responsibilities.

  • To be successful in this role, the candidate must bring significant experience and relationships in the multi-unit retail markets—motivated by winning financial incentives as well as career growth.
  • This person will bring a deep understanding and experience of the delivering infrastructure technology solutions specifically, network, network security/cyber, site support, connectivity, hardware and transition execution along with competitor offerings in support of growth strategy and investment initiatives.

The Vice President Sales will have oversight of the following:

  • Developing named account strategies, building consensus on targeted logos and pursuing delivery of high value and high growth new logos.
  • Building a predictable pipeline of new business to generate repeatable and profitable revenues across
  • Developing and executing a Go-to-Market Strategy that will hit or exceed revenue targets.
  • Executing go-to-market plans through targeted campaigns and other sales channels including advisors, influencers, conference attendance, industry events, etc.
  • Collaborating and developing 3rd party and advisor relationships to build credible brand voice globally to generate new opportunity channels. Generate & close opportunities from this channel.
  • Submitting and handling proposals with full ownership and accountability for the opportunity – working closely with the Sales Enablement teams to ensure high quality of proposals.
  • Building relationships is key to this role and possessing established and current relationships with COO’s, CFO’s, CEO’s, CDO’s, CIO’s/CTO’s and Customer Service Directors is critical to this role.
  • Big-deal experience –should have proven experience in closing infrastructure deals with ACV > $5M and TCV > $20M.
  • Maintain relationships with current clients and be main point of contact, to ensure targets and profitability are achieved while warming new prospects for long cycle sales.

We would welcome your thoughts, and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Larry Janis

Managing Partner I Integrated Search Solutions Group

 

Frustrated at work? How to decide if you should stay, pivot, or quit

 

 

 

by Kate Wieczorek

 

Feeling occasional job frustration is normal. However, when the bad days start to outnumber the good, it’s time to assess how to improve your work life.

 

Identify The Root Cause

First, determine what caused the frustration. Figuring out the reason will provide insight into which actions to take. Scenarios triggering work frustration could include:

  • Going through an organizational change
  • Being overworked and unappreciated
  • Navigating a new boss dynamic
  • Experiencing boredom
  • Given false promotion promises
  • Dealing with a toxic work culture
  • Feeling overwhelmed in a new job

Next, have a conversation with your boss. Great leaders want to know when their subordinates are unhappy. Collaborating with your manager on opportunities to alleviate job dissatisfaction builds a strong working relationship.

The Case For Staying
A successful conversation with your boss ends with a clearly defined action plan detailing specific check-in points and deadlines. Strong leaders and companies recognize the importance of keeping employees happy. It is worthwhile to stay and see if the changes result in increased happiness and less frustration.

Change is difficult to navigate. It can take three months, sometimes up to a year, to adjust to a new job. Company culture changes can take multiple years to fully integrate within a business. Be compassionate and evaluate if the negative aspects subside as you acclimate to a new way of working.

Time To Pivot
If multiple conversations with your leader did not yield an improved work experience, transferring departments or roles is an appealing possibility. Utilize your access to various departments and explore different opportunities. Gain unique insights through collaborating on projects together, job shadowing, or chatting over coffee.

Conduct extensive self-reflection and identify your career non-negotiables. Would you be okay with increasing your workload if a role piqued your interest? How would a lateral move align with your long-term career goals? What if a new role required different work hours? Gathering data and self-assessing will improve the likelihood of renewed job satisfaction in another role.

If pivoting internally is the right decision, create a clear transition plan. Allocate time to offload your current responsibilities and onboard into the new profession. Confirm with all stakeholders on the final date of transition and overall expectations. This mitigates the risk of executing two jobs on one salary.

Knowing When To Quit
Quitting is the best option when there is a lack of career growth prospects, misalignment of job tasks with your work interests, or the overall work environment is not improving. Changing jobs is normal. American workers will have on average 12 occupations during their lifetime, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One job experience lends itself to another, curating skills that form your unique career portfolio.

Always look elsewhere if you find yourself in a toxic work environment. Never remain at a company solely to justify an ‘acceptable’ tenure. The long-lasting impact on your mental and physical well-being is not worth it. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 44 million Americans quit their job in 2023. You deserve an improved work experience and to feel happy again.

Feeling frustrated at work isn’t always detrimental. It may indicate that a higher-level role, different workplace culture, or a new industry would be a better fit. Ultimately, it’s a sign to reassess your current job against your career needs. Acknowledge how you feel while recognizing that options exist to improve a challenging situation.

 

Source: forbes.com

CAREER RESILIENCE: STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING CRITICS, SETBACKS, AND MARKET VOLATILITY

 

 

 

by Tresha Moreland

 

 

In my 30-years of leadership experience I’ve weathered my share of career challenges, uncertainties, and yes – critics too. One thing I’ve learned through the years is career resilience that I’d like to share with others. Resilience is a crucial trait for professionals navigating the twists and turns of their professional journeys.

Here are insights on handling critics, overcoming setbacks, and maintaining a resilient mindset despite market volatility.

 1. Differentiating Between Constructive Feedback or Noise

Career resilience starts with the ability to navigate and leverage constructive criticism. However, we are surrounded by people who want to offer opinion whether its relevant to you or not.  Discerning between constructive feedback and mere noise is important for healthy growth. Constructive feedback offers specific insights and suggestions for improvement and growth.

While noise tends to be vague, unsolicited, lacking in substance or offers that you aim for lower versus higher goals. Learning to filter and prioritize feedback is key to maintaining focus on your professional goals.

3. Bouncing Back from Setbacks

Setbacks are inevitable in any career journey. Resilience lies in the ability to bounce back stronger from challenges. Instead of dwelling on failures, analyze them objectively, extract valuable lessons, and use the experience as a springboard for personal and professional growth.

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Vice President, Sales

 

 

Responsible for cultivating a presence and expanding top line growth for our client delivering a technology solution for multi-unit brands (A brand with 500-5000 locations in North America). This includes identifying new markets to enter, creating strategies to achieve growth targets, and growing the firm’s presence and revenues across specific markets – including New Logo Sales, Account Acquisition and Organic Expansion. Leadership span of control is US based and includes both top line and bottom-line financial responsibilities.

  • To be successful in this role, the candidate must bring significant experience and relationships in the multi-unit retail markets—motivated by winning financial incentives as well as career growth.
  • This person will bring a deep understanding and experience of the delivering infrastructure technology solutions specifically, network, network security/cyber, site support, connectivity, hardware and transition execution along with competitor offerings in support of growth strategy and investment initiatives.

The Vice President Sales will have oversight of the following:

  • Developing named account strategies, building consensus on targeted logos and pursuing delivery of high value and high growth new logos.
  • Building a predictable pipeline of new business to generate repeatable and profitable revenues across
  • Developing and executing a Go-to-Market Strategy that will hit or exceed revenue targets.
  • Executing go-to-market plans through targeted campaigns and other sales channels including advisors, influencers, conference attendance, industry events, etc.
  • Collaborating and developing 3rd party and advisor relationships to build credible brand voice globally to generate new opportunity channels. Generate & close opportunities from this channel.
  • Submitting and handling proposals with full ownership and accountability for the opportunity – working closely with the Sales Enablement teams to ensure high quality of proposals.
  • Building relationships is key to this role and possessing established and current relationships with COO’s, CFO’s, CEO’s, CDO’s, CIO’s/CTO’s and Customer Service Directors is critical to this role.
  • Big-deal experience –should have proven experience in closing infrastructure deals with ACV > $5M and TCV > $20M.
  • Maintain relationships with current clients and be main point of contact, to ensure targets and profitability are achieved while warming new prospects for long cycle

If you are interested or know someone who might be…

Please let me know,

Larry Janis, Managing Partner, ISSG

janis@issg.net