Waiting is hard. I know that it is for me. We all have times in our life when we are suddenly waiting for direction. I think of this as a waiting room. You are just stuck there and it only becomes more frustrating as you see other people come and go while you just continue to wait for your name to be called. The time doesn’t have to be wasted. In fact, it can be a very productive time for you. Let’s look at a few things you can do while you wait.
Explore
Take the time while you wait to explore around you. I don’t mean physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Remove the times and moments where you may feel stressed and replace them with personal deep dives into those three areas. It’s often like an unexplored cave. There is stuff there left waiting to be found if you are willing to go deep enough. These times have been extremely insightful when I’ve taken the time to do this. I’ve discovered that I wasn’t as passionate about an item or subject as I thought that I was, found new passions, discovered that the things that I would get hung up on actually were not that big of a deal, to begin with, and found new ways that I could love and serve others.
So what if you’ve done that and are still thirsting for direction and the next step? Get back in there and keep searching. Several years ago, I felt was in the waiting room and spent a large amount of time exploring my own cave. What I found were multiple tunnels that were leading somewhere. One could be labeled poor employee experiences, another a loss of friends that I enjoyed working with, another the joy of seeing someone get a promotion among others. They all lead to a beautiful cavern that was called culture and people development. The piece was in me the whole time, I just had to put all the pieces together. Once I did I left the waiting room and was off on a new mission.
Have no regrets about the time before the wait
It would have been easy to look back at my time after the self-discovery of culture and people development and think that I had wasted a bunch of time beforehand. I certainly would have chosen a different degree in college and could have saved some people on their career path along the way. Don’t fall into this trap. Everything that you have done before today has to lead to this moment. It’s all valuable in some way. Had I gotten a different degree, I wouldn’t have had the honor to serve all the leaders that I do. Even the hurtful things and regrets in our past have something to teach us. Don’t be ashamed of your story or what you missed. Use it to write that next great chapter in your life.
It could be a hint that something great is coming
Speaking of the next great thing, I have found that the waiting room is often a signal that something great is about to happen. Both of our children came out of times of being in the waiting room. My success as both an obstacle course racer and a runner came from times in the waiting room. I would never have thought that would have been me before entering those times. Hold true to these times of waiting. We don’t know the length of the wait but it can be time well spent.
The caterpillar must wait to become the butterfly. So should you use the time in the waiting room to transform into a better, rejuvenated, and focused you?
Make a better tomorrow. -ZH
*Listen to an expanded version of this topic including areas not discussed here in this podcast #118: Stuck in the waiting room
A job interview is not a test of your knowledge, but your ability to use it at the right time.
I get asked fairly often, from college students to seasoned professionals, for advice for having a good interview. They range from part-time extra work to college entrance interviews to major milestone jumps in a person’s career. I get so encouraged when people are seeking help in meeting their personal and professional goals and luckily, no matter what you are interviewing for there are a few key things that will help you stand out and ace that interview.
Be a storyteller
One of the most important things that you want to get across during the interview is your story. There is only one you after all, and the interviewer wants to get to know that person. Build yourself a mental Rolodex of stories that showcase your success, drive, ambition, and values. What you’ll look for in the interview are times to insert one of these stories. Having a good library of stories to tell helps you immensely in an interview because you will not find yourself mentally scrambling to answer questions. You’ll hear the question, roll through your examples, and pull out the story that matches most. For the interviewer, it shows your quick response and attentiveness. Rehearse your stories and examples with a friend, family member or colleague then sharpen and polish those stories. One of the quickest ways to kill an interview is to come unprepared and stumble through answering the questions while showing no personality.
If you are looking for ideas to jump-start your story Rolodex, do a search for typical interview questions and begin building your stories around those.
Know your numbers and business trends
Numbers are relative to the job you are applying for. For the college student/new career, it may be your school numbers and accolades. For the person trying to move up the ladder, it’s all of their current business numbers and how you and the team impacted a positive change. To take this up to another level, bake these numbers into your stories from the previous section. You are then showcasing yourself twice at one time.
For business trends, prepare to share your desire to learn and see the larger picture of the changing environment. It’s good to mention books and podcasts that you are listening to. Following the news on social media is good. Great is knowing what companies are doing and testing and then being able to discuss those changes with the interviewer.
Know the position and company (But have questions)
You want to know as much as possible about both the position and the company before the interview. If it’s for a certain department, do research on who works there, what they are known for, and what their impact is for that organization. If it involves a potential move to a new city, know things about the city beforehand. Where do you think you’d live? What would you love about the city? Do you already know someone in that area? These things show the interviewer that you are bought into the company, the job, and the area that it’s located in. I will not hire someone for a position if I think that they wouldn’t enjoy it there long term as a family. I would only be setting them up for failure if I did.
You are likely going to be asked at the end if you have any questions. Always ask questions! Make sure that they are informed, educated, and curious in nature. Don’t ask the interviewer if you got the job, instead ask about the culture of the team, what they see as opportunities for the job you are interviewing for, what kind of influence would you like the new person to bring in, etc. All of these show the person interviewing that you have a deeper understanding than most candidates. If you say that you don’t have any questions, you are telling the interviewer that either A) You aren’t as truly interested as the top candidates. or B) You aren’t seeing the bigger picture of the job.
Do these things and you’ll be ready to shine when the spotlight is on you.
No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing. -Julia Child
Finding that great local spot is an adventure that I enjoy during all of my travels. A national chain is good for consistency, but a quality local place really puts its heart into its food and experience to create a memorable time for its guests. I will take a local dive over a national chain any day. It’s not easy for that local chef. They have to create the magic by having the right amount of ingredients, cooking time, and preparation. Let’s see what we can learn about leadership from food.
You have to have the right ingredients.
I’m often amazed when I see recipes that call for very small amounts of an ingredient or an off-the-wall ingredient. How many times did the creator tweak the recipe until they found the right balance to make the perfect meal item? Likely dozens to over a hundred times. They didn’t give up until they found exactly what they were looking for.
Think of your team as the ingredients for a perfect meal. (Not that you are going to eat them!) Each of them brings their own flavor or style to the group, but none can complete the recipe on their own. You are likely going to need a techie kind of person, someone with creativity, someone with empathy, someone with strong business knowledge, a future thinker, and a strategist just to name a few. No one could fill all of those roles, and if they could there would still be too much work for the one person to complete. Think about your team today. Are you missing any ingredients to make that magic happen? Identify what those things are and then make a concentrated effort to add people with those traits to your team. It could be talent-based or diversity/perspective-based.
You have to prepare the ingredients.
You can’t just throw in a bunch of unprepared food together and expect anything edible to come out as the outcome. An unprepared and untrained team can expect to achieve the same results; a hot mess that will go in the garbage. Ensure that your people are well prepared for what’s ahead of them. They need the right amount of communication, training, and investment in order to be effective. When cooks show up for their shift, the chef will often tell them what the special is for the day, what they are running low on, and what other tasks they need to complete during their time in the kitchen. You would hate to receive your meal without a key ingredient because the cook forgot or ran out of an item. Make sure your team has everything that they need to be effective, otherwise expect to get mediocre results.
You have to cook the ingredients.
When I was in college, I cooked everything fast. Why wait when you could crank up the heat and get it done faster? I eventually learned my lesson after eating dry and bland food all of the time. You can’t treat all food the same if you expect an excellent meal. In the same way, you cannot develop your team at the same speed. Some are going to need a low and slow approach. Some will thrive under a little pressure and heat every now and then. Be mindful of your tactics when developing and pushing your team for growth. The same pressure that you apply to one person for growth can very well push someone else out the door. Change and adapt your style and tactics so that each person can be successful.
You are the chef of the kitchen no matter the size of your team. Continue to learn and grow until you perfect the right recipe for that perfect team.
