Sean Johnson Partner at @digintent and @founderequity. 
Professor of marketing at Northwestern. Very pale.
http://www.sean-johnson.com


A dirty secret about getting ahead: half of it is about what you do when you’re not at the office. 

Too many people believe it’s their company’s job to carve out a career and professional development plan for them. It can be awesome when a company does this — it’s one of the big goals of our company this year. But it’s rare.

It’s also not an excuse. Your inability to make progress is not a function of your company’s ability to train you.

It’s your job to train yourself.

What You Do At Night Matters  I was lucky to have this drilled into my head when I was younger by my parents and mentors. I graduated with a marketing degree but wanted to become a designer. So I spent my evenings and mornings practicing, doing real projects for free to get the skills I needed. It took a long time, but eventually it paid off.

When I become a business owner we decided UI/UX was no longer my highest and best use and I switched back to marketing. After the kids went to sleep I practiced and learned and experimented. It took a long time, but eventually started paying off.

I never would have become a creative director or led product development or taught marketing to MBA students if I relied on professional development initiatives from my employers. I had to create my own curriculum, and I had to practice. For a long time.

Most people I know who are successful follow the same pattern. One friend graduated with a history degree, but had an interest in technology and sales. He started doing inside sales and learned programming at night. He eventually became a VP of sales at a startup. Now he’s a CTO.

Another friend had a political science degree, but was interested in startups as well. He learned enough design and development to build an agency that he later sold, and he ended up in venture capital.

In both of their cases, the things they did between 6pm and 12pm were what determined their future.

There obviously needs to be balance. If you have a spouse and kids, you need to be fully present with them each night. Even if you’re single, you need to carve out time to exercise, see friends, connect spiritually, etc. And of course, giving yourself the opportunity to catch a movie or a game periodically is fine.

But what you don’t need to do is queue up another season of Downton Abbey on Netflix, spending the 14 hours a week the average American spends watching television. You don’t need to spend as much time playing Candy Crush or stalking high school friends on Facebook.

So what should you do instead?

Read more. My college mentor grew up in a poor African American family in Alabama. He managed to be the first in his family to get into college, attending West Point. He was a decorated officer before getting his MBA at Harvard. When I met him, he ran economic development in Colorado Springs.

When I asked him what he most attributed his success to, he said it was because he started reading and never stopped.

He believed knowledge was the key to getting what you wanted in life. So much so that his life goal was to build libraries in underprivileged communities like the one he grew up in.

He always asked job applicants what book they were currently reading. The A players were folks who could answer without hesitation. They usually were in the middle of 3 of 4 books, and at least one of them was professional in nature.

Reading gives you a huge head start on your peers who don’t.

You’re more likely to identify strategies and tactics from other industries that might work in your company.

You’re more likely to avoid making common pitfalls that otherwise would only come with experience.

You’re able to transfer that knowledge in your organization, creating new capabilities for your company.

And you’re more interesting to talk to.

It’s unlikely you’re going to have a conversation at a networking event about the 4 P’s of marketing or some other concept you picked up in your textbooks. But it’s very likely you’ll have a conversation about the long tail, or the 10,000 hour rule, or the build-measure-learn loop.

Anthony Robbins used to say that if you spend 1 hour a day learning about a particular topic, you’d know more about that subject than 99.999% of the world within a year.

Even if you have only 30 minutes a night, you can easily read a book a week. Maybe you’re not an expert, but I guarantee you’ll know more than your peers.

Maybe you don’t know where to start. At the end of this post I’ve included a list of my favorites to get you started. One less excuse.

Read. Take good notes. Repeat.

Work on (Real) ProjectsIdeally, you’re able to take what you’re learning and apply it in real world situations. If your company doesn’t provide that opportunity, you need to create it yourself.

I’ve argued in the past you should be willing to work for free. The reason is that it gives you reps. You simply learn more on real projects with real constraints than you do working on imaginary projects for a portfolio.

You get to learn how a principle applies in an actual industry, with actual team members, and how it impacts actual customers. You learn how to execute under a deadline, and have the benefit of a real feedback loop to see if what you did actually worked.

When you’re not very good yet, that experience is invaluable. May more valuable than the measly fee you’d collect as a novice.

If you can realistically justify charging for it and you can convince someone else, go for it. But don’t let fees get in the way of the work. Do whatever it takes to get as many reps as you can. The more times you get to practice the faster you improve.

The other way to get more reps is to take on projects no one else wants at work. By taking on those projects, reframing them, and making them successful you get opportunities to acquire new skills and influence within your organization. It’s unlikely you’ll have a ton of time to do this during the day since you’ll have your normal job responsibilities. You’ll have to do these projects at night. But the payoff can be huge.

Aggressively Build Your NetworkA strong network accelerates everything you do in your career. You should spend considerable time building yours if you aren’t already.

A good network gives you smart people to bounce ideas off of.

A good network gives you access to information and knowledge that are otherwise hard to come by.

A good network gives you introductions to consulting or freelance work that can give you more reps.

A good network will lead to more potential partnerships or revenue opportunities for your current company.

A good network will become the source of your next gig.

If you start your own business, your network will be the source of your early customers, your best employees and your most favorable sources of capital.

Rather than going home or going to the bar with your college buddies, you should be hitting up Meetup groups.

You should join your local chapter of whatever professional organization is most relevant to your career.

You should be grabbing coffee or drinks or breakfast with new people every single week.

And you should always stay in touch, actively looking for opportunities to help your network — to make new introductions, offer advice or share knowledge.

Your network can become your most powerful career asset, and the time you’re spending watching Duck Dynasty can be spent building it.

Change Your Destiny, Starting TonightThe great thing is you don’t need permission. Your boss doesn’t control your down time. When you’re home, your kids are in bed, and you normally shut your brain off, you can instead be doing things that will make you smarter, more capable and more connected.

If you spend an hour a day doing these things, I guarantee your professional life will be dramatically different in a year than it is today.

Appendix: A Book a Week to Change Your CareerHere’s a list of some of the books that have helped my career the most. Read one each week — in a year I guarantee your career will be on a different trajectory.

1. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
2. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
3. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
4. Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz
5. Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
6. Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
7. Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
8. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
9. Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman
10. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
11. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
12. Good to Great by Jim Collins
13. Great by Choice by Jim Collins
14. Influence by Robert Cialdini
15. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
16. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim
17. Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
18. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
19. Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
20. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
21. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
22. Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
23. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
24. Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky
25. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
26. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
27. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al and Laura Ries
28. Little Big Things by Tom Peters
29. Getting Things Done by David Allen
30. Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout
31. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
32. Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet
33. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan
34. The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
35. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
36. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
37. Purple Cow by Seth Godin
38. Permission Marketing by Seth Godin
39. Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
40. Why We Buy by Paco Underhill
41. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
42. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
43. Talent is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin
44. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
45. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher
46. The New Solution Selling by Keith Eades
47. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
48. The Power of Full Engagement
49. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
50. Winning by Jack Welch
51. Drive by Daniel Pink
52. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Our family's coat of arms.

If you are really interested to become a Six Sigma practitioner, aside from the technical part of being expert in Six Sigma methodology and tools, mastering soft skills such as facilitation, presentation, conflict, and change management skills are very important.  To be the positive key change agent of your company, understanding your personality is the first step before understanding others.

Few weeks ago, I shared the Tree personality type used by psychologists.  This time, I'll share something I learned from my Organizational Behavior and Process class: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an expansion of Carl Jung’s ideas about personality types. 

You may use this activity as a springboard if you deliver a training, or an ice breaker when you start a meeting or a six sigma work-out.  Take note of the personality types of your project sponsors, green belts, and executives.  This might help you understand how to flex with other people in your organization.

Although not as comprehensive as when you take it with a licensed practitioner, this test is a good place to start.  Enjoy!

The four letters in the Myers Briggs test represent your tendencies when it comes to social behavior, decision-making, and lifestyle. Those dichotomies are:

Worldview: Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)
i.e. would you rather play with your pals or hang out at home with a book?

Information: Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
i.e. when taking in something new, do you prefer to take it simply, at face value or interpret / add meaning based on your gut?

Decisions: Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
i.e. when making up your mind about something, do you primarily rely on logic and structure, or do you gravitate towards emotion and empathy?

Structure: Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
i.e. would you rather things in your life to be decided and set, or do you like to stay open to whatever options might come along?

The experts say that you are the best equipped to identify your own type, so for a quick analysis you can just choose your side of the above questions and string together those letters for your type. Then, find the species of animal who corresponds below and see if you can relate…

INTPs are analytical and thoughtful individuals who prefer to work alone and who are often ill at ease in social situations. They are impatient with hierarchies and politics and would prefer that leaders prove their worth with merit, rather than with charisma and influence. Although they are not particularly social, they do have razor sharp wit (and claws), and are often surprised to learn that people do enjoy their company.

Dramatic, charismatic, and influential — ESTPs seek the best in life and want to share it with their friends. They are active, spontaneous, fun, and foxy. They are the most adept of any of the personality types at influencing and manipulating people, and they make great salesman and can be wonderful friends if you’re looking for a good time. Read Aesop’s Fables for more information.

Peaceful and easygoing, ISFPs take things at their own pace and live moment to moment. They are considerate, pleasant, caring, and mellow. Their values are important to them, but they are not ones who particularly care about defending or debating their views publicly. Don’t call them lazy — maybe they are just more relaxed than the rest of us.

Independent and logical thinkers who are also persuasive leaders, ENTJs are business-minded and ambitious. They refuse to allow any subjective emotion to enter into their decision-making process, and as a result they can be seen as callous and cold. But these fierce individuals tend to be highly effective, successful, and incredibly powerful. They are truly the kings of the proverbial jungle.

ISFJs are quiet, observant, and thoughtful. They are interested in maintaining order and harmony, avoiding fast-moving cars, and respecting everyone’s feelings. They are often described by the few people who know them deeply as being incredibly sensitive and trustworthy.

INTJs are independent types, wildly intelligent and creative — but rather un-interested in what anyone else is doing. They are often considered the most independent of all the personality types, and they work best when given freedom. They are acutely aware of their own intelligence, as well as what they don’t know, and their passion often lies in conceptualizing ideas and processing complex theories.

ISTPs are an interesting study in contrasts: they are naturally quiet and analytic, often drawn to the field of engineering or trying to figure out how boxes work. But they are also explorers who can easily become bored with a single routin. ISTPs are often closet daredevils drawn to racing, bungee jumping, or jumping off of high countertops. They are “live and let live” types who are not particularly concerned with rules or regulations and would prefer that others not concern themselves with their behavior either. Some have even remarked that “don’t tread on me” is the perfect ISTP motto.

ESFPs live in the moment and want to experience life at 100 mph. They are incredibly playful, generous, and optimistic. They love being social and having new experiences. Classroom learning is not their strong suit even though they are intelligent and creative — they would prefer to simply “go with the flow” and have a great time.

INFJs are value-driven individuals who tend to remain mysterious and complex even after you’ve become close to one. They are often creative and inspired individuals. They are good at perceiving emotions and are sensitive to the feelings of others, but they are not very prone to revealing much of themselves until they trust someone completely. That said, they are intensely interested in the well-being of others and are often seen as protectors as well as natural leaders.

Creative and contagiously happy, ENFPs have boundless energy and an appetite for learning about new things and meeting new peope. They bring joy to others and are keenly perceptive to the needs of those around them. They are vivacious and popular enthusiasts. ENFPs tend to get bored easily, and they are always ready for the latest and the greatest in friends, relationships, experiences, and ocean jumping

ESTJs are civic-minded workers who strive to improve society and like to be part of organizations and governments. They are often conservative and they are strong believers in the letter of the law, and the importance of procedures. They are practical and straight-forward, and have little use for “expanding their mind” or having new experiences. They are, however, outgoing, and they have no problem with clearly communicating their needs and desires to others.

ISTJs are logical and word-working conservative types. They enjoy organization and regulation, and have a reputation for being serious individuals who take a practical approach to everything. They are dependable and thorough, sensible and earnest. Like a beaver hard at work on its dam, they are known for being incredibly dedicated workers who will do whatever is needed to get the job done. On the negative side, they have good intentions but can sometimes have a difficult time understanding the emotional needs of others.

ENFJs are social butterflies who are cheerleaders and supporters of a wide variety of friends and acquaintances. They hate bullying and they love to greet their loved ones with a face lick and a tail wag. They feel good when the people around them feel good, and they tend to adapt to the group that they are in very quickly, even adopting the values of whoever they are surrounded by. They are loyal and expect loyalty from others — think of them as the living embodiment of a “team player.”

INFPs are deeply ethical and idealistic, loyal to their family and closest friends, and guided by their desire to live a life according to their values. They are curious about those around them, but will not accept threats to the security of their adorable babies or their morals.

ENTPs prize intelligence and competence over all other things (both in themselves and in others). They are often described as witty, clever, cerebral, and resourceful. They are verbally inclined and they often have a perverse sense of humor. ENTPs like to analyze every side of an issue and are creative thinkers and workers. They sometimes chatter.

ESFJs are genuine and authentic, and they care deeply about those around them. These are the kind of individuals who bring out the best in those around them, and they are serious about loyalty and responsibility to their families, friends, and co-workers. They are generous and they love to bring joy to others, but they are also sensitive and easily hurt. ESFJs are often blind to the flaws of those they love and they are incredibly trusting and full of love.

Are you a Manager or a Fire Fighter?

When I was a fresh graduate, I was hired by a local Telecommunications Company.  On my first day, I remember attending its New Employee Orientation program together with 50+ new hires.  The facilitator asked that we take out a pen and paper.  “Remember when you were 5 years old.  What did you want to be when you grow up?”    After five minutes, he then asked, “How many of you wrote down “manager?”

After seeing that no one replied, I raised my hand.  The facilitator looked at me with a surprised face.  “At 5 years old, you already knew you wanted to be a manager?  You knew what a manager was?”

“No,” I answered, “but I came pretty close.  I wrote ‘fire fighter’.”

I have worked as a quality practitioner for several industries and one common complain I hear managers say: “The fire never ends.  It seems that crisis overlaps one after another.  I don’t know how much of this my team and I can take.  We never have time to get any ‘real work’ done.”  (Those who can relate to or heard your colleagues/ boss said the same thing, give me a silent nod).

While it is expected that managers rescue the company and solve problems, when a manager’s department is spending huge amount of time fighting fires, it’s a sign that something is very wrong.  It means that the manager was unable to address the root causes of the problem and that he is focusing more on rework to correct the situation.  Rework means spending more time and resources (including money) to fix the problem which should have not been there in the first place.



PREVENTION IS INDEED BETTER THAN CURE

As a manager, how can you lead your team get back on its feet to do “real work”?  There are several methodologies in a manager’s arsenal to solve a problem’s root causes and prevent it from recurring.  As shown on figure one, the first thing to ask is “Is the solution known?”  (A1).  If the solution is known, then assess the level or risks involved (A2).  Are the risks high or low?  Does it involve mission critical data risks such as customer information, regulated transaction details, and trade secrets?  For low risks, just do the solution and check if it solves the problem (A3), otherwise use PDCA (A4).  Then, check if the problem has been solved.  If solution is unknown or if the problem recurs in spite of implemented solutions, then you may use Six Sigma’s DMAIC (A6) methodology.

DMAIC WHAT?

DMAIC is pronounced as “dee-meyk.”  Pyzdek, T. (2003) states that every Six Sigma project follows a standardized and systematic method known as DMAIC (acronym for Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control).  DMAIC is a disciplined, data-driven, problem-solving methodology.  Data-driven just means that decisions are based on data, not on perception or opinion.  This approach eliminates wasting people’s valuable time and makes sure the real problems are solved.

DMAIC IN ACTION

Here is a practical example of DMAIC in action.  Imagine one February night that you are in your house watching the highlights of the day’s impeachment proceedings while enjoying your favourite ice-cold soda, and then it starts to rain.  Suddenly, water begins dripping from your ceiling.  The following morning, you buy one gallon of elastomeric sealant and ask your carpenter to seal the holes and cracks of your 5 year-old roof.  The sealant costs P1,600 and you pay P400 for labor.

Two days after, while sipping a freshly brewed coffee in another rainy morning, water starts dripping again.  With that, you immediately call your local roofing contractor and have a new roof put on the next day.  The bill is P17,000.  Three days later, the water starts to drip again.  So you get on the phone and call the contractor to give them a piece of your mind.  Only thing is, while you are on hold, you look outside and notice it isn’t raining.  On taking a closer look, you find out that the PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) pipe that runs up to your second floor bathroom is leaking.  Now don’t you think that some data, such as how often and when does your ceiling leak, what the weather was, and others, might have been valuable?  That it might have saved you money too?

Define is the first phase.  In this phase the project goal or purpose is carefully defined.  The scope is determined, which is an understanding of how wide or comprehensive the project will be.  (Find out why the roof is leaking and fix it.)

Measure is the second phase.  In the measure phase information is gathered that will be needed to support finding root causes and support improvement.  If it is a process, baseline data on the process’s performance are gathered.  If it is a problem, data that can be used to pinpoint the problem will be gathered (e.g. Days water leaked from the ceiling and if it was raining, how much water leaked from the ceiling, confirmation that the liquid is water, condition of roof, locations of leak in ceiling, how old the roof is.)

Analyze is the third phase.  The purpose of the analyze phase is to use the data to verify the root causes of the problem.  Theories of the causes are examined and tested.  (You ask your neighbours to come over and brainstorm about what could be causing the leak.  On several days when it rained, the ceiling leaked so you have formed the “hypothesis” that there is a problem with your roof.  You pour water over the roof, but the ceiling does not leak, so you “reject” your hypothesis.  On further review, you notice that it was when someone is upstairs that the ceiling leaked.  Due to that, you form another hypothesis that the water going up to your 2nd floor bathroom causes the leak.  You ask someone to turn on the faucet upstairs and the ceiling leaks!  The leaks happen every time the faucet is on.  Now you have verified that the root cause is a leak in the PVC pipe that travels through you ceiling)

Improve is the fourth phase.  This phase is where solutions are verified until root causes are addressed.  Sometimes this takes several solutions.  (You apply duct tape around the leak, you apply PVC pipe sealant on the seam that is leaking, and you try different fittings where the pipe is leaking.)

Control is the last phase.  The purpose this phase is to test the solutions and develop a plan to keep the problem from recurring.  (You find the pipe leaks with duct tape applied, the pipe leaks after PVC pipe sealant is applied, and the pipe no longer leaks when you try a new fitting.  You replace the fitting permanently and implement a control plan of having a professional to inspect the pipe on an annual basis in the future.)

The problem is solved!  And isn’t that a lot better than paying P2,000 for sealant & labor and P17,000 to replace a 5 year old roof that wasn’t leaking?  (Carreira, 2006)

 
REFERENCES

Carreira, B., Trudell B. (2006). Lean Six Sigma that works: a powerful action plan for dramatically improving quality, increasing speed, and reducing waste.  New York:  Amacom. 

Pyzdek, T. (2003).  The Six Sigma Handbook: A Complete Guide for Green Belts, Black Belts, and Managers at All Levels.  New York: McGraw-Hill.