Trending
The fox in any organization is the key manager or executive that has the greatest amount of influence on a particular career or business decision to be made.
In sales it could be the key individual in the customer’s organization that would make the buying decision. If you are to win the sale, you need to figure out a way to make it stand out above your competitor’s in the eyes of the fox.
Your career challenge is no different. You represent a solution to a hiring manager’s problem and you must clearly differentiate yourself from your competition so that they conclude that you are the ONLY one who should be afforded the opportunity.
Here are 4 practices to covet the fox and win the competition for a job and push your career forward to succeed:
1. Identify the right leaders who represent a fox.
Identify the leaders in the organization who are making the key business and people decisions. Think about the individuals who are always consulted on matters affecting the strategy of the organization and the people who shoukd be considered for leadership positions.
Think about the fox as a target market—WHO to SERVE—just as you would if you were deciding on who to target in a new marketing program.
You will be allocating a significant amount of your time and energy on them and you need to be sure that they have the potential to deliver significant career benefits to you.
2. Discover their ‘secrets’.
Discover the expectations and ’secrets’ of the foxes you’ve identified. If you have a deep intimate understanding of the fox, you are in a position to impress them in a way none other can hope to do, and be successful in moving forward.
Here are a few secret gathering questions to answer on each fox.
- What history do they have in hiring people? What do they typically look for?
- What do they typically look for in a candidate to fill a particular position?
- What questions do they ask? What has their career path been? What positions have they held?
- What are they famous for? What strengths do they possess that have made them successful?
- What do they do outside of their job?
- Do they have any outside interests they spend their time on?
3. Market yourself as a package.
Don’t project yourself as a person having a narrow set of competencies.
Market yourself as someone who has a broad a range of skills and expertise that the organization values.
Think about yourself as a package of value that the organization needs to be successful and talk about how your package is more compelling than those who are competing with you.
Select the competencies you have that address the key issues and challenges facing the organization, which could include:
- audacious leadership.
- marketing expertise.
- demonstrated achievement in developing winning business strategies.
- cultural change.
- increasing market share in competitive markets.
- improving customer service results dramatically.
- public speaking.
- building strong teams and consultative selling skills.
4. Be proactive.
Be proactive in discovering the opportunities that will be coming up in the organization. Be intimately familiar with the business plan that is guiding critical activities.
If you have a good relationship with the foxes this will aid the process. In addition, stay tuned into the informal communications network in your organization as it is often very effective in knowing when change is in the wind.
With an informed outlook of the possibilities, you can take whatever action you feel appropriate to take advantage of them should they arise.
Follow these 4 simple ways to take advantage of the foxes that are in your organization and build a winning career.
Related: How Managers Who Love Holding On to the Past Can Be Eliminated