WORKSHIFTER - Dispatches from the New Executive Frontier

We’re all reeling from the news in the financial markets and the fate of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and others. As the CEO of my own company, it’s hard not to put myself in the shoes of CEOs of some of the other financial services companies. “What next?” is the looming question after the upheaval many are experiencing. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know and that’s not a comfortable place to be. I see the areas of compliance, audit and risk taking center stage in the months to come. Right now many CEOs may not have a complete picture of potential risks for their companies. They will need to evaluate:

• Internal risk areas
• The short term resource requirements for increased compliance and risk needs
• The ripple effects throughout their organizations--where are volatile areas hidden?

Many companies will need to bring in outside expertise to fully assess compliance and risk issues. Previously I’ve referred to corporations’ need to have a roadmap to compete in a troubled economy. While companies will most likely not be taking on new and creative initiatives in the days to come, they will need to execute their critical business initiatives simply to survive. That’s the new landscape we’re all part of now.

Part 2: Assess Your Skills

Part two of our five part series looking at the steps to becoming independently employed.

Being independently employed can create new opportunities for you (yes, you)! For example you can leverage your skills in multiple projects while maintaining a work/life balance.

If you have gone through the personal analysis of your life and what it really takes to do this kind of work, then the next thing is to do a skills assessment. Ask yourself: what are my skills and what value do they have?

This assessment does not mean you refer to your last resume. In fact, this is very different than a traditional resume. It is more like a curriculum vitae. As you talk about your jobs, you need to focus more on how you did something rather than what you did. This helps organizations that may engage you to really understand your value to them.

For example, don’t say you “achieved record-breaking sales.” Future employers want to know how you achieved record-breaking sales. The marketplace needs to be confident that you have a specific talent and deep knowledge and expertise in the areas they are looking for. The how’s will help them assess a skill set and match it to their need.

Your skills go beyond simply increasing sales and managing teams. How many teams did you manage? Did you manage a team with a language barrier? Did you increase sales in a new division? Think about how your skills match interim projects. The more in-depth and niche your skills are, the closer the match will be to appropriate projects.

Remember your references serve as validation for your skills. Savvy professionals also recognize the benefits of brushing up your online image and networks.

Have any questions? Just ask!

Stay tuned for… Step 3: Assess Your Behaviors and Motivators

Part 1: Assess Your Life

Today we begin Part 1 of our Five Part series looking at the steps to becoming independently employed. Stay tuned next week for Part 2!

As a leading broker for the independently employed, I’m often asked the same question: How do I know if engagement-style work is for me and how do I get started? I always enjoy getting this question. It really is important to evaluate your life and your career before you make this transition, so I’m happy to offer my expertise. And what better way than to blog about it!

So, today I want to talk about the first step in the process, which is to Assess Your Life. Before you whip open your laptop to work on the resume, you need to look at your needs and wants within your lifestyle. A great way to do this is to ask yourself some questions: What is my motivation for working this way? What portion of my life needs to be work? What revenue requirements do I have?

Your self-assessment is so crucial because it will ultimately show you how you want to approach this kind of work. For example, looking for some more free time with your family allows for much more project work than taking that backpacking trip across Europe would. This really is the new way to work so take the time to think about what work-life choices you want to make. Not everyone is suited to this type of work and, in fact, EPOCH uses an in-depth assessment tool for those under consideration for its portfolio.

A great book to read while you are asking yourself these questions is Dan Pink’s book “Free Agent Nation.” It was truly an inspirational read for me and has some great information for people looking to become independently employed.

Once you’ve determined that you are passionate about project work and execution, it’s time to look at your skills and what you have to bring to the table.

Next up… Step 2: Assess Your Skills