They Don't Teach Corporate in College (25 page)

You will likely face stressful situations in your career, especially when a risk presents itself and you must act immediately. In his book
Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better
, world-renowned psychologist Albert Ellis says that you can assuage your risk-taking fears by preferring, rather than needing,
a successful outcome. Realize that a bad risk won't kill you. Sure, you may lose, but you may also appreciably gain. Look at it this way: If you refuse to take risks, you will never get over your fear of them. Your career will be predictable and boring—and life is too short to live that way.

Also, keep in mind that how you react in a crisis tells others a great deal about you. If you're wishy-washy, you are likely to be perceived as ineffective, whereas if you take a confident stand, you will make a powerful statement about your career potential. Whatever you do, don't let on that you doubt yourself—nothing will cause people to lose respect for you faster. Even if you make a mistake, no one can fault you for courageously confronting a problem head-on. And when a plan doesn't work out, don't take it personally. A bad risk does not make you incompetent and shouldn't prevent you from taking similar actions in the future. Be honest, own up to your error, take stock of what went wrong, and make a note to do it differently next time. There is no better way to learn.

My market research firm had so many ineffective processes, it was amazing we made any money at all. I thought I was being helpful when I showed my boss a spreadsheet detailing how many hours my colleagues and I wasted doing Internet searches. He immediately asked me what I proposed instead. I told him we should implement a software program to do the searches for us, but when he started in with more questions, I was at a loss. I guess I hadn't really thought it through. Looking back, I probably sounded like I was just complaining rather than actively looking for a solution to the problem.

Greg, 23, Massachusetts

Knowing how to resolve issues and act decisively on the fly are skills you shouldn't be without. Early in your career, you may not have enough accountability to practice problem-solving on a regular basis, but if you take the time to master the process now, you will be all set when a curveball is thrown your way.

It's easy to say that a problem exists. Maybe you can even determine who's to blame. However, coming up with an effective solution is much more challenging, particularly when you're navigating uncharted waters. Problem-solving
abilities do not come naturally to many people. Some are born procrastinators, and others become so stressed that they lose their ability to think rationally. Either way, when confronting a situation that requires action, many people put off addressing the issue until the window of opportunity has closed. If you are faced with a choice, it is usually more effective to take the wrong action than to do nothing at all.

Let's look at the four steps of problem-solving with a potential scenario. Suppose it is just before Christmas. You work as a junior account executive at an advertising agency, and your client is a national bank. Your client contact informs you that the bank has had a sudden change in marketing management and wants your firm to pull together a presentation proposing some new creative campaigns. Unfortunately, the presentation is due just after the New Year, and your boss has already left for vacation. The future of an important client relationship is now in your hands. Yikes! What are you going to do? First, take a deep breath and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. You're going to solve this problem with a clear head, and you will come out looking like a superstar in the process. Here's how.

What is the problem, specifically?
In less than a week, with most of the team on vacation, we must overhaul our existing advertising plans and devise a slide presentation detailing a new, year-long creative campaign. I have neither the authority nor the expertise to create this presentation on my own.

Is this objectively a problem?
Yes. I am not just panicking or exaggerating the criticality of this situation. The client really expects this presentation next week.

What can I gain by fixing it?
This is a major opportunity to prove myself to senior executives in my firm and to develop a positive working relationship with my client without the interference of my managers.

What are the alternatives?

1. I could take the problem to the most senior executive in the office and let her handle it.

2. I could call my boss on vacation and explain the situation. Hopefully, she'll come back.

3. My boss recently experienced a similar crisis, and she brought in freelancers to do the job. I could find their contact information in her address book and call them in to help.

4. I could coordinate a brainstorming session with the more competent account managers in the office and use the ideas generated to formulate a presentable plan for senior management.

Are any of my potential solutions totally unrealistic?
All of the options are realistic except for #3. At my level, I am not authorized to spend several thousand dollars to hire freelancers. I also cannot release control of the project to an external resource without senior executive approval.

What are the pros and cons of Solutions #1, #2, and #4—my most viable alternatives?

Pros of #1:
Transferring responsibility on something of this magnitude is perfectly legitimate. I won't have to put myself out. I can go home and enjoy my time off.

Cons of #1:
The senior executive might not perceive me as a can-do person because I am coming to her with a problem and no potential solution. I will also make zero impact from a visibility perspective.

Pros of #2:
My boss is probably the best person to handle this situation. She has a long-standing relationship with this client, and she could probably do the job most effectively. Also, I would not be held personally accountable for the outcome.

Cons of #2:
Even though she'll understand, my boss might resent me for calling her during her well-deserved vacation. I will also lose the opportunity to showcase my problem-solving abilities and strong work ethic to my management and the client.

Pros of #4:
I could really increase my visibility and impress the office account managers and senior executives by effectively mobilizing resources in my boss's absence. It's possible that this incident will help me get promoted to account manager.

Cons of #4:
I don't have a lot of experience with direct client interaction or creative campaign development, so it will be easy to make a mistake. Also, the account managers, the senior executives, and my boss might think I'm overstepping my bounds.

Have I prioritized the best option?
After analyzing the pros and cons, I believe the benefits of #4 to be the most substantial, and its drawbacks to be the most tolerable. I can mitigate the risk by collaborating with others as I take the reins.

How will I roll out and communicate the solution?

1. I will coordinate an hour-long interactive brainstorming session with all of the account managers in the office.

2. I will organize the results of our session and put together a brief action plan.

3. I will present my recommendations to senior management and await a decision.

Have I developed a contingency plan?
If things get out of hand, I can always pull in a senior executive to take over (see Solution #1). At least then everyone will know that I put forth my best effort.