Why is Launch Success Different?

Feb 13

Unlock how to find the Hidden Job Economy

There are a lot of opinions why people get stuck in their career development and finding the next step in their career journey. More experienced workers get stuck for variety of reasons, from a lack of vision and not prioritizing their brand, to underestimating the importance how they are perceived professionally, to having their current role eliminated because of mergers or workflow automation.

Even though experienced workers get stuck, they have a built-in advantage if they are willing to consider it. They already have professional experience, a brand, and a network they can tap into to get a new job. Usually, they need to be made aware of these factors, and in short order, if motivated, they can tap into opportunities that may or may not be advertised. The Hidden Job Economy.

Less experienced workers don’t have years of professional experience, their brand is under development, and their ability to network is limited. They don’t understand business norms and the drivers behind decision making, particularly the dynamics that drive hiring decisions.

To better understand the concept of a two-way FIT, I figure it’s worthwhile explaining some of the key concepts in the FIT Method. At Launch Success we believe FIT is a two-way street, and the job seeker who is managing their career needs to assess the company as much as the company assesses the job seeker. They need to use tools to better understand to what they are trying to achieve with a career change and what will engage and satisfy them for their target time period.

FIT:

As I mentioned, an employee needs to fit a company and a company needs to fit an employee. The best outcome from coaching happens when the client understands and accepts their:

Preferences
Strengths
What makes them happy, or Satisfiers

These areas must be understood and kept in balance when considering prospective companies and the jobs at those companies. When thinking about companies, I often think about them like I think about people.

I find companies:

Have Cultures
Have Values
Have Views on:
- Acceptable and Ethical Behaviors
- Represented vs. Actual Required Work Time
- Equality in the Workplace
- Stress and Work Life Balance
- Opportunities for Growth
Are Results Driven and Objective -or- accept Hierarchies and Cliques
Work best in open work environments - or - in traditional settings with cubical and offices
Prefer openness and frankness - or – encourage silos of information and limited access
Embrace innovation and continual improvement - or - stick to standard practices and guidelines

Vision:

Your vision is personal, and I’ve found people need to be given permission to have one. They seem to assume that visions are something for executives or companies, and not something that can be quite personal. What is a vision? My definition is that a vision guides your desired outcomes and ensures a future goal is achieved, it meets your needs.

As an executive coach, I express to leaders I work with that employees need to understand a vision to sustain performance and move forward with innovation and continuous improvement. After a particularly bad week, your vision or the company’s vision may provide a rallying point to help employees recover positive mindsets and redirect energy. When things are going well, a vision can reinforce and engage people in a greater effort, helping themselves and the company to be successful.

A vision can be time sensitive or more global in nature. For example, I want a promotion in the next year, or I want to be the thought leader for industrial policy of the most environmentally sensitive industries in the world. The first could be attained in one step, the latter will take influence and effort, communication and networking, gaining expertise and validation, and finding the right institute or university working on that area.

Establishing realistic and attainable client visions is an important step in the FIT process. Vision often involves reaching a personal understanding that to achieve your vision it often takes commitment, planning and perhaps multiple smaller steps.

Preferences:

Of the FIT factors, Preferences seem to be the most built in regarding who we are. Myer Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI) to help us understand preferences. Over the years I’ve tried to come up with a practical example of what preferences are. I think of them as natural tendencies that you are drawn to.

My example is that you set up a bunch of tables and areas in a conference hall with different activities and experiences and then put young children in the same room. Preferences would be the type of table or area a child ended up at most frequently. Would it be a table with Legos or painting materials, or a table with musical instruments and or watching an activity? Maybe some areas required more than one person requiring a small team, and others were focused on individual engagement. Some tables might be creative, complex, physical, or require attention and listening. None of these are superior preferences, they are what they are and who you are. But they are indicators, general guidelines that help bring attention to where and how you might FIT.

Once your preferences are understood, we can help align them with your vision, understanding what preferences move you forward and what holds you back. Once these are identified, we can determine strategies regarding FIT and your brand.

Strengths:

Strength is one of your greatest assets and they are behaviors that come about naturally or through hard work. The hard work can be increased education and training, or putting yourself into new situations to make you grow professionally and personally. We use the Gallup StrengthsFinder method to understand these behaviors, and like MBTI, we evaluate these behaviors through the same lens, what strengths move you forward and what strengths hold you back.

Strengths have positive and negative impact in life, decisions you make, and your resilience. Your strengths are yours, and you can decide what strengths Promote or Protect. We work hard to determine which strengths are expressed and promoted in your brand, and which you may hold back, depending on your vision and goals. For example, maybe you want to make a career shift, and want to promote certain strengths that are in line with your new career vision and hold others in reserve. It’s OK not to complicate messaging and let employers find their way to understanding all your strengths.

Strengths are a great example of how much you actually control in your brand and presentation as a highly qualified employee.

Satisfiers:

What truly motivates and makes us happy in our lives will ultimately drive our behavior, including how happy you are in your job, for example:

Work: The opportunity for personal development; achievement; recognition; promotion; levels of responsibility; timing
Family: Time with and quality of life
Commute: Time consumed and quality of life
Exercise and Fitness: Building the base for resilience and success
Hobbies and interests: Activities for oneself
Music and Arts: Personal and group creative expression
Wellness: Church, Spiritual Life, and Social Engagements

In my experience, satisfiers are often overlooked in clients’ career explorations and career management. But in reality, during the 72 hours week you’re not working or sleeping, that’s 43% of your week, your satisfiers are likely influencing your activities and levels of happiness.

Moving happiness from a qualitative state to a quantitative understanding is important in finding your best FIT.

How is Launch Success different? We help our clients tap into the same skills more experienced professional use and exploit to access the Hidden Job Economy. The Hidden Job Economy are jobs that are currently in development as the needs and requirements become clear, or that are focused on finding the right candidate to fill a specific position. They often aren’t represented on job websites, and if they are, making your FIT apparent to decision makers is critical. The goal is to achieve a state where a hiring manager can see you in the role and you can see yourself prospering for the company.

About the FIT Blog

The FIT Blog adds depth and understanding to the Launch Success FIT Method. Think of it as a resource to learn more about the methods before signing up with Launch Success. It’s also intended as a resource during and after you’re engaged in the process. We provide definitions and examples on some of the foundational ideas, like the FIT Mindset and explaining Your Vision and Balance. What the FIT Blog reinforces most is that you control more than you think and can have a path forward towards independence and financial security.

About Gary Ainsworth

With over 30 years in working in technology and worldwide operations, and nearly 10 years as a certified executive and career management coach, I’ve gained insights in how companies hire and how career seekers increase their probability of getting hired. I’m committed to helping younger, less experienced professionals understand and unwind what’s holding them back in their careers.

Gary Ainsworth