Dear SafetyXChange Members,

You're the safety professional everybody knows, admires and wants to hire. You have a great job and aren't necessarily looking for another one. But you're "willing to listen" if somebody wants to knock you over with an offer. You are the passive candidate and you are at the pinnacle of the job-seeking world. Last week we described the passive candidate. This week let's discuss how to become one.

The Synergy Secret

Typically, job-seeking is a diversion from job-performance. Your time is spent either pursuing a job or acting as a safety professional. Passive candidacy represents the fusion of these otherwise divergent elements. It turns the efforts you make while carrying out your job into career development steps, and vice versa. "Your personal career management becomes a personal business strategy," explains Denver-based executive consultant Karen Armon.

The best word to describe this is synergy, and to develop it you must keep all parts of your career focused. "It's about crafting a central message," Armon says, "and the message is you."

An Under-the-Radar Success Story

How do you implement this strategy? Armon relates the story of one of her clients. Let's call her Dana. She's an executive with a Fortune 500 company. And her performance is stellar. She has achieved every business goal and met every challenge since taking the position. Her business unit has smashed records.

But Dana is not happy. All she's earned for her accomplishments is a paltry two percent merit pay raise. In addition to feeling unappreciated, Dana is bored and wants out. She feels like her talents would be better used at another company.

But, like many executives, Dana faces some serious obstacles in seeking a new job. She doesn't have time for traditional networking; she fears that her employer will discover her job-seeking efforts, especially if she posts a resume on the Internet. "How do people do this job search thing?," Dana wonders.

Dana's Strategy

Armon suggests an answer to Dana's dilemma: Create a base of "raving fans." In other words, become a passive candidate. Dana skillfully extends her networking reach. She writes articles for trade publications. She speaks at industry events. She gets to know the other high profile experts in her field and gets them to know her. And she formulates a personal brand statement that she subtly inserts into each message she delivers: "I'm passionate about turning around companies in trouble."

The strategy pays off. Dana becomes known in her industry and gains a reputation as an expert in tough turn-arounds. Job offers start coming her way. She sits back and selects the one she finds the most appealing. Today, Dana is running a recent acquisition at a major corporation. She remains high profile and still receives steady streams of offers.

Conclusion

Dana's story is hardly unique. It's the same strategy many executives have used to propel themselves to the top of their profession. And, if you're a talented safety professional, the passive candidate strategy could be your ticket to career success.

Wishing you career success!

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

WORKING LIFE

Workplace Ambience & the Impact on Creativity

There's an old saying about real estate. The secret of success lies in three words: Location; Location; and Location.

Apparently, the same principles apply to on-the-job innovation. According to a new survey, the ambience of the workplace has a significant effect on the creativity of the employees who work in it. More than half - 55 percent - of the executives surveyed said that office layout, lighting and décor "greatly" affect their creative output; 38 percent said it has "somewhat" of an effect; 5 percent said it has a limited effect; and only 2 percent said it has no effect.

The company that performed the survey also suggested things companies can do to create the kind of workplace ambience that's most likely to maximize employees' creativity:

• Designate parts of the workplace as "creativity zones" where employees can meet and brainstorm.
• Furnish the creativity zones with industry publications and a white board for jotting down ideas.
• Create private sanctuaries where employees can work without distractions.
• Maximize daylight. The sun gets the creative juices flowing.
• Put up an idea wall or bulletin board in lunchrooms and other gathering places where employees can post ideas.
• Hold meetings in unusual places, like courtyards, parks or even cafes. Changing the scenery opens the mind.

Source: The Creative Group, www.creativegroup.com.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

May 19, 1857

By Glenn Demby

The first electric fire alarm, patented on this date in 1857

Most of you have probably never heard of William Channing and Moses Farmer. But if you're a safety professional, you should know who they were - or at least what they did. Channing and Farmer invented the first electric fire alarm.

They came from Boston, which like other American cities in the early 19th century, relied on volunteers to fight fires. Citizens were instructed to shake wooden rattles to signal fires and summon help. The system was, to say the least, imperfect. Even when the rattlings could be heard, it often took precious minutes to determine where in the city they originated.

In 1845, Channing proposed a solution: a centralized and coordinated fire alarm system running on electro-magnetic power. He called it the "Morse Telegraph for Fire Alarms." In 1851, Channing and Moses pitched the idea of a municipal fire alarm system to the Mayor of Boston. It involved the creation of 26 signal stations and 19 alarm stations throughout the City under the control of a Central Office. Boston bought the proposal and became the first American city to establish an alarm system.

In addition to saving countless lives, Channing and Moses got rich after receiving a patent on their invention on this date in 1857.

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top