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Success is not a Democracy: Find the Right Connection to make it Work

October 14th, 2009

No matter how many people work at your company, it only takes one or two people to change the game you’re playing. Choosing your alignments on the job can make all the difference in your career. In fact, forging alliances in the workplace is a lot like getting elected: it’s not the most popular candidate who wins, but the one who has proven himself/herself to be the most influential.

In terms of voting power, finding the right alignments is about courting individuals with the most votes that count. In other words, you can have all the friends in the world, head the Cheer Club, lead the league in strike-outs on your company softball team and generally have the popular vote, all without winning the election. Just ask Al Gore, who won the popular vote in the 2000 election, but lost the Electoral vote.

These viewpoints are most certainly capitalist. When you’re in a corporation, democracy doesn’t help you win the favor of your co-workers; your outcomes are determined by your relationships with key decision makers – those one or two consummate executives who have the most influence on your future with the company.

The corporate alliance is a very intimate one; for better or worse, you could be aligning yourself with someone who is very visible, influential and known throughout the company. A consummate executive also remembers that it’s not just the ally you’re courting, but everyone in his or her network.

No network, no connections – no payoff.

You must carefully research your choices when it comes to forming corporate alliances. If you are not vigilant about who you’re courting or their role within the organization, you could wind up aligning yourself with someone who is unpopular with higher management or on their way out of the firm. Such negative associations can do more harm than good.

Here are some quick tips for forming the right alliances in any corporate setting:

1) Spend time observing before you move: Don’t simply run into any situation without assessing it first. Spend time observing the environment, understanding pre-existing relationships and most importantly, determining what situations to avoid. Remember: others might see your entrance into the environment as an opportunity to bring you into their alliance. You want to be the one who makes the final decision.

2) Be clear on where you’re trying to go: Identify which direction you’d like to go within the company, so that you can you form alliances that are not only powerful, but also highly correlated with your final objectives.

3) Don’t forget about the power of being competent: You will have an easier time forming the right alliances if you are gaining a reputation as an outstanding performer. If you are mediocre, then a high flyer may not want to be part of your alliance. They are judging you the same way you are judging them.

To read more about playing the game at the top, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, INC (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) and one of the youngest people ever to be a VP of two fortune 50 companies (Dell and Motorola), a feat he completed before turning age 40. An avid Philanthropist, Fenorris is currently serving on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise. To find out more information visit www.corporateclimb.net.

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Fenorris Pearson- The Consummate Executive

October 14th, 2009

Featured Topics:

*Avoid your MBA becoming DOA
*How to Play the Game at the Top!
*The Art of Giving Back
*How to Become a Fortune 50 Executive
*Creating an Innovation Culture

*Driving Disruptive Consumer Innovation

*L.A.W.S. of Leadership

*Global Innovation, What Is It and How It Impacts You!

Fenorris Pearson

“The Consummate Executive”

This former VP of two fortune 50 companies before the age of 40 (Dell and Motorola) is an entrepreneur, innovator and human capital expert. Fenorris Pearson is currently the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, Inc (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com). He and his innovation team define the next ‘big idea’ and produce consumer products and services that disrupt the competitive landscape and generate revenue through billion dollar concepts.

Prior to founding Global Consumer Innovation, Fenorris served as Vice President of Consumer Innovation for Dell, Inc., a Fortune 50 company with revenues of more than $60 billion where he had the responsibility for more than 300 employees in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. While at Dell, Fenorris, who reported into the President of the Consumer Business proposed several new concepts with revenue potential ranging from $300-$500M. Fenorris was also responsible for creating the strategy for Dell’s first organization in the consumer business that was responsible for creating new products or services derived from the understanding of “Human Factors” and not from the engineering lab. Also, while at Dell, he was responsible for creating a culture of innovation for the consumer business to help transform that business from operational excellence business model to one focused on a product leadership culture and mindset.

Prior to joining Dell, Fenorris was Vice President for Global Organizational Development for Motorola, Inc., a global telecommunications leader with revenues of over $40 billion. While at Motorola, he worked with President and Executive Vice-President to lead led the reorganization of a $27 billion business. He also defined and delivered Motorola’s first High Performance Framework with the purpose of building sustainable performance and organizational capability.

His work experience includes positions in sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution, customer service, human resources, and organizational development. He has a Masters Degree in Organizational Development from Benedictine University.

His talk ‘How to PlayThe Game at the Top!’ gives the listener a glimpse into the inner workings of the almost secret society that drives corporate America. Additionally, Pearson helps corporations come up with fully-vetted consumer driven products. An international expert, Pearson helps corporations understand innovation through his speech “Global Innovation, What Is It and How It Impacts You!”

An avid philanthropist, Fenorris currently serves on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise.

Fenorris believes that in life, “You become what you believe”. At the end of the day, you and no one else can control what you make of yourself.

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Fenorris Pearson Talks to Steve Harvey about Reaching Your Goals

October 11th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson, CEO Global Consumer Innovation, Inc.

If you measure some of today’s top performers by yesterday’s gold standards, they simply wouldn’t measure up. Industry icons, business mavericks and game changers like Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Rachel Ray and Michael Dell didn’t finish school or have a great education; and based on those two metrics alone, no one could have measured their full potential. By focusing only on such metrics, you might be missing the most valuable components of a person’s engine of success.

As a guest on Steve Harvey’s show, I was recently talking about success, potential and the wide gap between good grades and pure genius. Steve said something that I’ll never forget. When coming up “the hard way” he would interview for jobs or audition for various roles and, based on purely measurable qualifications – school records, his one-page resume, or whether he has movie star looks – he never quite measured up. “But what they couldn’t measure,” said Steve Harvey, “was how big my dream was…”

What a difference the power of dreams can make. As the star of The Steve Harvey Show, Steve won four NAACP Image Awards as “Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.” He also won an NAACP Image Award for his performance as host of the variety series It’s Showtime at The Apollo. In March 2001, Harvey received the ultimate honor: NAACP Image Award’s “Entertainer of the Year,” and now has a NY Times best-selling book on the market.

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Fenorris Pearson: Playing the Corporate Game at the Top

October 9th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson

Despite a growing number of women and minorities in the workplace, the directors of corporate boards remain mostly white and male, according to a new report on Fortune 100 companies. Women and minorities together account for less than a third of the directors on more than 60 percent of the boards examined, according to the report. African Americans represent 7% of all corporate board members.

In spite of these grim statistics, there is a great deal of hope for the possibility of women and minorities sitting in positions of authority. The more you perform and the higher you go up the corporate ladder, the less color matters. The truth is that corporations are seeking individuals who can enhance the bottom line. A good corporate manager doesn’t care if you are black or white, as long as you deliver the green.

What, exactly, is “the green?” Money, of course, but that’s only one form of currency which matters to top performers. In the end, performance counts as much as money. But not just any kind of performance, the performance must be outstanding and consistent. You should make high performance into a habit, not a spurious event. Sure, you can come up with a bright idea that saves the department millions and get just as many “atta-boys” as the next person; but you must be sure to prove that your success was more than just a fluke.

In playing the game at the top, you can’t expect short-cuts. You must be willing to do the simple and menial jobs to open the door for the glamorous, high income opportunities. There are always eyes on your actions and every job is mission-critical, not just to the company but to your personal objectives. In fact, how you perform when you’re working at the bottom is often used by top brass to signify how you’ll perform at the top.

Show that you are a team player, a consistent worker, and an independent decision-maker, and you’ll become a valuable asset to any corporation.

To read more about the only color they see, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

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How to Play The Game at the Top: Beyond the Resume – Measuring What Really Counts

October 8th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson

Education is critical for success, but when everyone has the same education from the same Ivy League schools with the same GPA… how do you stand out? Other factors beyond education – business etiquette, dress, playing well with others, teamwork and dedication are easy to measure and log. But what of those immeasurable traits that count for just as much in the corner office: passion, drive, commitment and stamina?

How can we measure the immeasurable?

When it comes to playing at the top, it’s often the intense, burning desire of the candidate that makes the difference between success and failure. At the end of the day, performance and results are two of the most important traits a top performer can possess. Work harder than your competition, and you’ll win the battle every time.

Another thing that people can’t measure with grades, paychecks, promotions or time cards is what’s inside your heart.

Never underestimate yourself or let someone tell you that you can’t get to the top. Dreams are crushed by negativity, not reality; if you hear that you’re worthless, unqualified or “not the right material” long enough you may tend to believe it. Trust me, plenty of people will try to impede your rise to the top; don’t let them do that to you. Believe in yourself but, more importantly, prove yourself.

Top performers – and those who hire them – are as concerned with those traits they can measure as they are with the immeasurable. When I’m selecting someone for my team, my department or, for that matter, my replacement, I look at the measurable skills, but also work hard to decipher those immeasurable skills the candidate might possess. If someone comes into an interview and looks good on paper, I then work to find out what the resume isn’t telling me. If I see something in their eyes that says they will go above and beyond the call of duty and that they are going to be able to get the job done no matter what, they will surely move ahead of the pack.

Why do I work so hard to look beyond the resume, the GPA, the dress code and the hair gel? Because most of the top performers in my company defy conventions, go completely off the charts, and create a new breed of success. This is true for corporate America in general. Top performers are cut from a different cloth than the rest of the competition. My years as a Vice President at Dell and CEO of Global Consumer Innovation taught me that if you’re not thinking outside the box, you will always remain inside the box. It’s tough to teach someone to be great.

To read more about going beyond your resume, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

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How to Play The Game at the Top: Get Sponsored!—Identifying the One Person Who Can Change Your Career Overnight

October 5th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson

Even when I was a Vice President at Dell Computers, one of the most cutting edge companies on the planet, our problems remained the same. The variables changed, but the bottom line always came down to figuring out how to sell to one customer at a time. Reaching this critical objective becomes more complex as technology changes and the world becomes more advanced. As complacent as we’ve gotten with new technology and global opportunities, this much has become clear: what got you here won’t get you there. In fact, what positioned you here, might not even keep you here…

…At least, not without a sponsor.

These days competition isn’t just stiff, it’s rigid. You need every advantage you’ve got, particularly if you’re a recent grad, female or minority. Think hard work, an MBA and a well-rounded resume will get you to the top? Think again; that might be what got you here, but to get there – the proverbial corner office or CEO’s chair – you’ll need more than just a spotless resume and a 4.0 GPA; you’ll need a sponsor.

A sponsor is effectively anyone in your environment who supports your initiatives, makes critical connections and provides mentorship as you navigate the corporate jungle. The right sponsor can create the career of your dreams, but the wrong sponsor can create a nightmare. Choose your associations carefully.

Seeking out a sponsor? Here are some ways you can get a sponsor in your environment:

1) Find out if your company has a formal mentoring program and get on board: Many companies are learning the importance of mentorship, and working to formalize the process. Find out if your company has an option for you.

2) Just say “hello” and reach outside your comfort zone: By reaching out and offering to go to lunch with a potential mentor, this might open doors to productive relationships. Even if the person is of a different race or gender from yourself, you may still find that they are one of your greatest allies.

3) Show your face at social gatherings: If you are at corporate functions and leading managers know who you are, this will increase the likelihood that someone takes you on as a mentee. Make sure everyone knows who you are and that your reputation is protected at all costs.

To read more about sponsors, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

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Playing the Game at the Top: Your MBA Might Be DOA

September 30th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson

Once upon a time your MBA was the gold standard; a guarantee for eventual and all-but inevitable success in your chosen profession. Today the starting line has moved; an MBA is still crucial for the well-rounded, would-be consummate executive, but no longer the gold standard by which success is currently measured.

Even those reliable old yardsticks by which past business success was calculated – hard work, seniority and massive overtime – no longer ensure you the success you desire today. Many men and women have built their fortunes on these skills alone in the past, but times are changing at a critical pace, and it is important that you keep up. There are thousands of MBAs awarded every year, and the cookie-cutter approach to business success has evolved. How are you going to be different from every other MBA in the country when it comes to finding your path to success?

Here are some things you can do to rise above your MBA, make yourself relevant and prepare for the real world:

1) Never forget that the world is changing: With the increased used of technology, business models are adapting, corporations are changing their strategies, industries are rising and others are dying. Make sure you know where you fit in this bold, new world and don’t assume that you are living the same life you would have lived in 1989. The textbooks used in your MBA courses might have worked for business models in the 1990s, but they may become obsolete in the new millennium.

2) Remember that it’s not what you know, it’s who: Never underestimate the power of networking when it comes to rising up the corporate ladder. Knowing the right person can make the difference between being in the position you deserve and allowing an undeserving competitor to take your place at the top. Establishing relationships and nurturing them can make difficult accomplishments much easier, since doors will open up with the right connections.

3) Experience matters more than credentials: Rather than assuming you’ll get the right job because you went to the right school, you must understand the importance of the bottom line in corporate America. If you are proven as someone who can get the job done, that’ll go a lot further than simply having certain letters on your resume. Get the experience at any cost, and prove yourself to be a game changer.

To read more about Avoiding Your MBA being DOA, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to the How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

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How to Play The Game at the Top: Rule #1

August 31st, 2009

From Fenorris Pearson, CEO of Global Consumer Innovation

Your MBA is DOA

Once upon a time your MBA was the gold standard, a guarantee for eventual and all-but inevitable success in your chosen profession. Today the starting line has moved; an MBA is still crucial for the well-rounded, would-be consummate executive, but no longer the gold standard by which success is currently measured.

Even those reliable old yardsticks by which past business success was calculated – hard work, seniority and massive overtime – no longer ensure you the success you desire today. While all these are helpful, and many men and women have built their fortunes on these skills alone in the past, times are changing at such a critical pace that new opportunities are needed to bridge the gap between what used to work and what must work.

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A New Way of Doing Business: Global Consumer Innovation (GCI)

August 26th, 2009

To say that Global Consumer Innovation (GCI) (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) is just another marketing or research company is an understatement, to say the least. Touted as an innovation company, GCI uses its holistic perspective to create concepts for companies to enhance growth. Under the belief that corporations have, for too many years gone about developing products and services that are fundamentally flawed, GCI operates under the premise of designing products based upon collecting consumer data.

Founded by former Vice-President of Global Consumer Innovation and Global Capability Group for Dell, Fenorris Pearson, the GCI innovation team defines the next big idea that produces consumer products or services that disrupt the competitive landscape and generate revenue through billion dollar concepts. GCI recognizes that the methodology of corporate America is deeply flawed. There is a process that needs to be examined for success with every company, and GCI has perfected that concept.

Companies must take the frustrations of consumers and provide insights. All efforts must be totally consumer driven, without only seeking to reach quarterly goals or meet the bottom line. Major corporations bring in customers to view their products without knowing or understanding their needs. GCI is helping the consumer become involved and creating an innovation culture for best practices.

The GCI philosophy revolves around identifying whether or not a company has an innovation culture, designing the company to be more innovative, and the steps to take to create an environment. Most companies are all about making big investments. Venture capitalists do a wonderful job of understanding financials around what is brought to them. However, they don’t figure out who is going to buy it. Ninety-nine percent of all acquisitions fail because of poor marketing strategy. GCI offers their approach directly to the consumer. Their goal is to ensure that the investment succeeds.

Through strong leadership, innovative enablement, and solid growth practices, GCI is the alternative to the old way of doing business.

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How to Play the Game at the Top

August 24th, 2009

by Fenorris Pearson

How is the game played at the top? How do you get there and, once there, how do you stay put? And how, in these trying times where jobs are hard to come by and competition is stiffer than ever, can you ever hope to achieve such lofty goals? These are not questions to ask at the end of a career but at the beginning; these are thoughts to have not upon reflection during your retirement dinner but before deciding to ask for that promotion, leapfrog to another successful company or capitalize on the success you’ve already experienced.

Before starting my own business I was Vice-President of Global Consumer Innovation for Dell, Inc., the 35^th largest corporation on the Fortune 100 list. Prior to joining Dell, Inc., I was Vice-President of Global Organizational Development for Motorola, Inc. Motorola, Inc. is a Fortune 50 global company with revenues over $40 billion. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey to corporate success, it’s this: The rules are different at the top.

Actually, the rules are very different at the top; there is little slack and even less room for errors. Smart people like to work with smart people and don’t suffer fools gladly. When cutting edge technology, name players, new products and billions of dollars are on the line, there is no room for sleepwalkers, jokers or phoning it in. Top performers get to the top by bringing their A-game every time, but now even that isn’t enough.

Today, more than ever, with layoffs a predictable morning headline and gold-standard companies like Circuit City, Steak & Ale, Linens and Things and Sharper Image shutting their doors in 2008, if you’re not firing on all cylinders, you won’t get in the door, let alone into that corner office. Regardless of the tight economy, or perhaps, because of it, companies are still hiring; but only the best. Companies are still promoting but, again, only the best. If you are looking for that entry-level job you can have it; if you have already been working in corporate and want that big promotion you can get it – but not by coasting into position. Rewards come quickly and are still great, but you will have to come fully prepared to work at the top of your game; every day, every time. How?

At my new web site www.corporateclimb.net I open up the play book and provides us with a glimpse into the inner workings of an almost secret society driving corporate America today; that of the consummate executive. I share decades of game-changing performance for the very first time – and perhaps just in time given our countries current economic crisis. I identify the 9 Rules for Becoming a Consummate Corporate Executive:

Rule # 1: Your MBA is DOA

Rule # 2: Get Sponsored! – Identifying the One Person Who Can Change Your Career Overnight

Rule # 3: Beyond the Resume – Measuring What Really Counts

Rule # 4: The Power to Dream

Rule # 5: The Only Color They See is Green

Rule # 6: Popular Vote versus Electoral Vote: Why Forging the Right Alliances is Priceless – And Forging the Wrong One is Deadly

Rule # 7: The Ten Commandments of NEW Business Etiquette

Rule # 8: Managing Your Peers and Keeping Your “Enemies” Close

Rule # 9: It’s Not Just About Getting to the Top, But How you Play the Game

There are 8 Steps, 7 Habits, 6 Traits, and 5 Strategies that provide business professionals with a plethora of valuable information to set themselves apart from the rest. So, what separates the ‘9 Rules’ from the rest of the pack?

For starters, these aren’t just rules to help you succeed, grow rich or find yourself. These ‘9 Rules’ are specifically-designed for top performers by a top performer. Secondly, they are not interchangeable, unrelated or coincidental; each of the ‘9 Rules’ works with the others and all build upon each other to create not just a one-time event or a quick tip or tactic, but a better leader who, thanks to these rules, is ready to tackle any situation at any phase of leadership at the top of his or her game. Finally, these ‘9 Rules’ take into account the dual audience for which this book is designed: the entry-level workforce audience and people stuck in their job who want to move up – all the way up.

It is never too early to prepare for playing the game at the top. In fact, now more than ever, if you don’t have a top-tier, next-level in mind, then you might as well stay home. But shooting for the top is a game full of strikes and foul balls, unless you have a clear, proven game plan in place for getting there – and maintaining your position. How to Play the Game at the Top is more than just another “6 Tricks,” “5 Tips” how-to blog; it’s a gift no future executive can do without. These critical ‘9 Rules’ give you complete insight into true leadership before you even apply for the job – or promotion.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

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