The Power of Choice E-Book

Michael C. Hyter

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 190

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Straightforward advice for navigating the challenges facing professionals who are underrepresented in the leadership of today's organizations Michael Hyter is one of the nation's highest regarded executives of color, and a widely respected thought leader in the area of talent development and leadership succession. To get there, he worked hard and made his work count through Efficacy. In The Power of Choice he reveals the lessons he learned along the way--putting you on the fast track to career success. This book provides answers to the questions you might face as you immerse yourself in an often confusing and challenging workplace culture. It is about how to take informed personal responsibility for your career. Inside, you'll find an open and frank discussion of how you can--and must, if you want to succeed!--make deliberate choices about who you are and how to represent yourself in your career. You'll learn how to open doors for yourself (rather than waiting for others to open them for you), choose what's important to you, and decide how you will achieve your goals. * Learn how to choose greatness by embracing efficacy to make the most of your time and energy * Take your career into your own hands with inspiration from others who have made it * Discover how embracing personal responsibility can create the opportunities you've dreamed of * Gain deep insights into your own mind and make the right decisions to get where you're going Yes, for those of us who are underrepresented talent, there are tradeoffs to finding success in today's workplace culture. If you rise to the challenge, you stand a good chance of reaching your full potential--both professionally and personally.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I: The Foundation

1 The Requirements for Career Success

Technical Skills

Relational Skills

Influential Skills

What's Required for Success?

2 Believe You Have What It Takes

The Fixed‐Capacity Mindset

The Capacity‐Building Mindset

Effective Effort Drives Development

Failure and Difficulty as Feedback

3 The Power of the Message

A Downward Spiral

Creating an Upward Spiral

Tell‐Tale Signs of the Impact of Low Expectations

PART II: Choose Your Strategy

4 Build Confidence

Self‐Talk

A Network of Support

Protect Your Confidence

5 Make Your Effort Effective

Choose What You Want as an Outcome

Focus on What You Can Control

Expand Your Skills Incrementally

Align Your Goals with Your Organization's Needs

The Highest Return on Investment of Your Time and Effort

6 Leverage Relational Skills

Connect with Others

Shape Mutually Beneficial Relationships

Determine Shared Objectives

Clarify the Advantages of Cooperation

Take a Risk on Relationships

Build Trust over Time

Be Strategic in Building Personal Connections

The Characteristics of an Effective Network

Develop a Connection with Your Manager

Professional Relationships Are Not Friendships

Avoid “Connection Compromisers”

Relational Confidence Draws Others to You

7 Use Influence Skills to Shape Your Reality

Choose to Be Influential

Influence Skills Require Practice and Effort

Identify Your Desired Outcome

Identify the Benefits

Understand the Context of the Situation

Build Alliances with People Who Have Influence

Influence Is Not Asking for Permission

PART III: The Power of Choice in Action

8 Real‐World Choices

Choose to Overcome Low Expectations

Choose to Build Supportive Relationships

Choose to Expand Your Impact

Choose to Influence

Afterword

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Figure 2.4

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1

Figure 3.2

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1

Chapter 7

Figure 7.1

Guide

Cover Page

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

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Praise for The Power of Choice

“Efficacy is game changing. Too often in our careers and in our lives, we become thwarted by limitations set by others or even ourselves. The Power of Choice shows you how to take control of your professional destiny and move forward with the confidence and competence required to be effective and successful. I'm thrilled Mike Hyter is sharing these life‐changing principles.”

—Donna James, Managing Director, Lardon & Associates; Former President, Nationwide Strategies Investments

“I participated in an Efficacy seminar as a freshman at Harvard. In the forty years since, it has helped me navigate tough career decisions and manage complex layers of interactions I've experienced as a professional man of color in academic and corporate environments.”

—William H. Carson, M.D., President and CEO, (Retired) Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization

“Every year I share this book with our young, talented administrative fellows. The book lays out a strategy to use the “power of choice” to pursue their personal and career fulfillment. The conversations sparked by the book inevitably lead to a better understanding of their life purpose and what it means to ‘live life by design, rather than default.’”

—Gerry Lupacchino, SVP Experience, Engagement and Organization Development, Hartford HealthCare

“I was fortunate to have exposure to the Power of Choice early in my career. It has served as a critical enabler to my advancement and success—a compass to navigate opportunities and challenges, to take individual responsibility for my career, and to shape my career journey by ‘design, not by default.’ Now, I'm committed to pay it forward by exposing future leaders and executives to the practical advice and proven career strategies outlined in this book.”

—Shanda Hinton, Talent Management Executive, Fortune 100 Company

EMBRACING EFFICACY TO DRIVE YOUR CAREER

THE POWER OF CHOICE

MICHAEL C. HYTER

Copyright © 2021 by Michael Hyter. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 646‐8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hyter, Michael, author. Title: The power of choice : embracing efficacy to drive your career / Michael Hyter. Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2021] | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020038234 (print) | LCCN 2020038235 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119780922 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119778806 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119778790 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Career development. | Self-efficacy. | Success. Classification: LCC HF5381 .H97 2021 (print) | LCC HF5381 (ebook) | DDC 650.1—dc23LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038234 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038235

COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY COVER IMAGE: © ISTOCK | ERHUI1979

I dedicate this book to my children, Ashlei, Mike Jr., Donovan, Ten, and Ace, and to my granddaughters, Donatella and Isabella.

Your future is the inspiration for this book.

I love you all.

Foreword

I FIRST ENCOUNTERED the principles that are the core of this book as a student at Harvard University, and they immediately resonated with me. My parents had always encouraged me to believe in myself and to have the confidence to shape my own path, despite the obstacles presented by the segregated society into which I was born. I was determined to succeed, and to do it in a way that was true to myself. That mindset has had a powerful impact on my career path, my approach to leadership, and the success I've achieved along the way.

A pivotal example came in my senior year of college. As my peers busily applied for jobs, I was unsure what direction to take. My undergraduate major—and passion—was economics, but I was also drawn to the law. My gut was telling me to follow a path that combined the two. However, I didn't know anyone who had done that, so it seemed like a “crazy idea” to my 21‐year‐old brain (an assessment readily shared by the friends who thought I would be a “natural” lawyer).

It took a great deal of self‐confidence, and the encouragement of one of my favorite professors, to follow the path that felt right to me—but that's what I did, earning both a JD and a PhD in economics. I consider it one of the best decisions I've ever made, because it laid the foundation for what has been a wholly fulfilling and meaningful career grounded in my deepest passions and interests.

In charting my career path after graduation, I didn't have the benefit of Mike Hyter's The Power of Choice. But so much of the advice he delivers in this engaging and insightful book rings true to the experiences I've had. For example, Mike explains that although technical proficiency is foundational to career success, it's not enough. When I entered the workforce, I had solid credentials and competence in two fields, thanks to the educational path I chose. But I quickly recognized that to have the kind of impact I wanted to have, I'd need to deliberately hone the skills that Mike identifies as equally essential to technical proficiency: building relationships and influencing others.

The value of relational proficiency was never more apparent to me than in my days at the U.S. Federal Reserve. When President Clinton appointed me to the Fed's Board of Governors, I was not well known by many in the Fed system, having spent more than a decade in the consulting world. While I never doubted that I had the capabilities and the skills to succeed, I also knew that if I wanted to make a truly meaningful contribution, I would need to develop strong relationships at all levels of the organization. I was proactive in investing the time to get to know my colleagues, and in the process, I gained a much broader and deeper understanding of the Fed—its operations, history, and culture. This in turn enabled me to be more effective in my own role and to add value to the work of my colleagues, and I believe it's an important reason I had the honor of being appointed vice chairman in 1999.

My strong network of Fed relationships was also invaluable in helping me navigate what would be one of the greatest leadership challenges I have ever faced. When terrorists struck the U.S. on 9/11, I was the only Fed governor in Washington, D.C., so it became my responsibility to lead the Fed's initial response to the attacks. Our job was to safeguard the stability of the U.S. financial system, a task that required herculean efforts by the Fed team. I believe my colleagues were comfortable having me lead them in this vital effort because of the relationships we had established long before that day.

It's in my current role as CEO of TIAA that I've most strongly relied on the influential proficiency that I've worked to build throughout my career. A key part of my role is setting the strategic direction for our 101‐year‐old company, to ensure our continued success in helping our clients achieve lifelong financial well‐being. But CEOs don't have the luxury of devising and announcing a new plan and having everyone automatically jump on board. Getting buy‐in is a process that begins with listening to others, to gather their ideas and input. Then, once a strategic direction is set, it requires relentless communication across the organization, delivered in a way that both informs and inspires. As I have come to learn over the course of my career, leadership is very much about followership. To put it another way, you can't be out in front of the parade unless there are people willing to line up and march behind you. Successful CEOs—like professionals at all levels who want to shape their organizations—must be able to influence others, shaping opinions and inspiring action that advances the organization's objectives.

With The Power of Choice, Mike has done a fantastic job in offering a plethora of career‐building strategies, grounded in the principles of Efficacy, that are highly relevant and extremely valuable for today's workers. It's especially meaningful that the book addresses the often unspoken obstacles that individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups face in their career journeys. As an African American whose career has spanned the private and public sectors, I am well aware that those obstacles are real. However, they should never be the final word on success. In my own life, I've endeavored to keep my focus where I believe it is most effective: on what I can control as an individual, on the mindset I bring to challenges, and on continually learning and growing. If that approach resonates with you, then you'll deeply value the advice and perspective that Mike offers in this excellent book.

Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.President and CEO, TIAA

Acknowledgments

WHO COULD HAVE known that an idea for improving academic achievement and a commitment to making a difference would turn into a practice that has positively impacted thousands of professionals and students for more than a generation? In the early 1970s, Dr. Jeff Howard had the insight and courage to create a development experience for Black students at Harvard University to address the educational disparities between Black students and white students. Dr. Howard called his approach “Efficacy.” Dr. Howard's success at Harvard ultimately led to the founding of J. Howard and Associates, which enabled professionals in hundreds of companies to experience those same ideas and approaches that had significantly improved the performance of students at Harvard. I have Dr. Howard to thank for birthing the movement, laying the foundation, and bringing together talented professionals to make this powerful approach to driving development a reality. If it weren't for his leadership, many of the key ideas in this book would not exist.

I also want to express my appreciation to Marc Wallace, Audra Bohannon, and Verna Ford for making these important principles come to life for so many companies and individuals. Marc, Audra, and Verna were among the first thought‐leaders at J. Howard and Associates, and we still hear from past participants about how significant and beneficial the experience was for their careers. Over the years, Marc, Audra, and Verna, along with all our facilitators, have continued to expand the ideas of Efficacy and their application. For instance, Verna added the concept of the three types of confidence—technical, influential, and relational—that has profoundly shaped how we talk about the skills that are important to navigating a career. Audra has helped evolve our understanding of the power of making conscious choices.

Writing a book that captures the strategies and impact of this powerful approach to development isn't an easy task. I could not have done this alone. Many of my colleagues—Kameelah Benjamin‐Fuller, Jan Clarkson, Jorge Farias, Diane Johnson, Luisa Kurtz, Kristine Perez‐Foley, and Barbara Smith—gave their support by reading the first version of this manuscript and providing feedback along the way. Kameelah also conducted some of the interviews, and Jan did an outstanding job of pulling that information into the real‐world examples in the final section of the book. Barbara helped me craft the guidelines for putting Efficacy principles into action that appear at the end of each chapter. When it was time to update the book, JT Saunders and Anna Isabelle Vivas navigated us through the twists and turns of making revisions—no easy task in the midst of our busy and rewarding client service activities.

I also had the support of many folks outside Korn Ferry. They contributed by recounting their stories—both their successes and tough lessons. They reviewed manuscript drafts and helped me bring the Power of Choice alive. To protect their confidentiality, I'm not going to list their names here, but I hope you know who you are and what a difference you made.

Of course, I thank my wife, Tisha, for all of her patience and support during this project (and the three years of planning). I will be forever grateful.

Finally, every project like this one requires an anchor who brings it all together. Kathy Lenox was my right hand throughout this process. Kathy has been a longtime contributor to our company and a strong partner of mine on many projects over the years. Our mutual passion and commitment to this body of work is strong and very much aligned. Her support in helping me with the writing and editing, managing the process with all of its moving parts, and keeping me on schedule has made all the difference. I can't really express in words how much her partnership has meant to me, but I'm happy to say that we got this done and it's all good! Thank you, Kathy.

Introduction

I HAVE FOCUSED MY CAREER on supporting the talent development of a vibrant and diverse workforce. This work means that I have the opportunity to speak to large numbers of up‐and‐coming professionals who are eager to make their mark and navigate through a successful career. These individuals are hungry for practical advice about how to accomplish the goals that are important to them. Many think of themselves as—or are considered by others to be—“different” from the majority of employees in their organizations.

In talking with these rising professionals, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and an array of industries, I encounter an interesting ambivalence about the relevance of differences in today's multicultural workforce. On one hand, there are countless people from different ethnic backgrounds, races, gender, cultures, sexual orientations, and religions, all of whom are living their dreams that they achieved through their own hard work, intentionality, and support from others. This is a true sign of progress.

On the other hand, these same differences are still causing debate and division. In spite of a changing population and expanding opportunities, I still hear concerns about the impact of being different when it comes to being recognized and rewarded in the workplace. Many professionals look around and don't see many individuals like themselves in senior management. They notice that their careers aren't progressing as they expected or as quickly as their colleagues'. They see others like themselves leaving the company for unclear reasons or “better” opportunities.

As these hard‐working professionals make these observations—and when they encounter the inevitable challenges or setbacks of a demanding career—questions begin to emerge: Do I have to work twice as hard as my counterparts to receive the same recognition and opportunities? Do I have to sacrifice who I am in order to fit in? These kinds of questions, sometimes raised overtly but more often unspoken, add another level of complexity—and distraction—to the challenge of managing a rewarding and satisfying career.

I've wrestled with these and other questions throughout my own career. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1960s. When I graduated from Michigan State University in the late 1970s, I began working as an entry‐level human resource professional for a large corporation based in Detroit. I was a driven young executive who was looking to move ahead fast. Yet even after two years of working hard, I felt senior executives either couldn't see or didn't value my potential. I became cynical about the company and my future with it.

In the spring of 1980, I was invited, along with twenty‐three other professionals of color, to participate in what was then called an Efficacy course. I suspected that this seminar would be remedial. What made me show up despite my reservations was that I had previously heard the speaker, Dr. Jeff Howard. Most Black leaders of the day spoke about people of color as victims—a largely white society was to blame for what we didn't achieve. Not Dr. Howard. His focus was squarely on taking personal responsibility for one's own development. He didn't talk about what was wrong with other people or what the company ought to be doing differently. He told us that our success depended upon ourselves and the choices we made about how to think and behave. I was riveted by this thinking. Was it really up to me?

During the training, Dr. Howard elaborated on the topic of personal responsibility, and the meaning of what he called Efficacy became clearer to me. The American Heritage Dictionary defines efficacy as the “power or capacity to produce a desired effect.” In the context of the program, efficacy also means “a set of thoughts and behaviors that give you the highest return on the investment of your time and effort.”

I was struck that the definition didn't say a good return or a high return, but the highest return. Efficacy was about leveraging my choices and my effort to maximize my development and not settling for less than I was capable of. It was about being strategic with that effort: defining what was important to me and developing a strategy that would produce the best outcomes with the least amount of wasted physical or emotional energy.