Comments on: Being a Smooth Operator

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:42:02 +0000

Adam-

Nice article. I coild not agree with it more. all the best…

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:29:36 +0000

Adam- Great article and I agree. I have lived by a prinicpal that I learned long ago from a VP at my company….Try to help others achieve their goals/objectives/agenda at least 20% of the time during your day. It is truly amazing what you can do and get accomplished just by helping others.

By: Adam Salamon

Adam Salamon — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:06:11 +0000

Hi Mark,

Sorry to hear that honesty cost you the job, but it sounds like you have the right attitude and understand that the job itself isn’t what would ultimately make you happy if you would have had to make decisions that weren’t in your department’s best interests.

I hope I’ll see you around here.

By: Adam Salamon

Adam Salamon — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:59:31 +0000

Thanks for the comments, Elizabeth. You’re right–I think win-win scenarios are more possible than people imagine, but many are raised to think otherwise.

I think that gets reinforced when people and organizations start to trade short-term goals for long-term success. i.e. Crash dieting, short-term sales goals/metrics, etc.

By: Mark L. Olson

Mark L. Olson — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:18:55 +0000

Adam, great post. I recently interviewed with a search committee for the top marketing and communications position at a private university. Great job. My brutal honesty cost me the job, however…and I’m fine with that. Turns out the committee included a rep from their PR agency of record. One of my 100-day Plan recommendations was to terminate the agency and handle PR with an in-house manager/staff. It was the right idea if I was going to be running the department, but it cost me his 20% vote. I could have lied to win the job, but what good would my word have been going forward. Thanks for the post. Mark O.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:20:49 +0000

Being a baby boomer, many of us were taught there was something wrong with “getting what you want” and that somehow that was a horrible trait…like bragging about yourself. As a career counselor and HR consultant, I spend have my coaching time undoing that myth with candidates who think there is something akin to the devil in selling yourself. Being a smooth operator would be tantamount to being the sleaze of the party.

You’ve made a wonderful, logical point that by helping others everyone can have what they want. I especially like how you describe aligning your goals with others, and beginning to share a story.

Nicely put! Thank you. I’m going to reference this post in our blog for blending work and life.

We have to undo many of the social myths with which we were raised, when everything was so black and white.