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Will You Be Underpaid? Can Your Personality Affect Your Salary & What Can You Do About It?

July 25, 2017 by Shoya

Take a quick look at the options below. Choose one from each set of statements. At least 51% of the time, do you tend to be more:

__tactful and diplomatic	or	__direct and frank?
__apt to avoid conflict where possible	or	__apt to meet conflict head on?
__empathetic	or	__analytical?
__accepting at first	or	__skeptical at first?
__apt to take things personally	or	__objective about criticism?

If you’ve chosen more items from the left column, research shows there is a high probability you will be underpaid by at least 25% of your true value. This is not because you lack drive, skills, commitment or talent. Chances are you are simply not asking for your due. When first interviewed, you probably liked the job and/or found compatibility with your future boss and colleagues. So when a reasonable number was offered, you accepted it rather than creating conflict by pushing the envelope and asking for more. Later, at review time, you also were less likely to be aggressive about demanding a robust raise. Companies need to focus on the bottom line and will offer the minimum. It is easy to accept the offer to maintain harmonious work relations. After all money is not everything! But this does not have to be your ongoing fate!

You need to learn from those who choose more items from the right column. These individuals are typically paid more, often not because they produce superior work, but because they know their worth and demand to be properly compensated.

So if you are in the group on the left, which makes up 50% of the population, and 65% of women, what can you do about it?

Research Your Position. Search salary websites, and talk to people who are in similar jobs.
Determine Your Priorities. Salary, bonus, vacation, health benefits, technologically advanced equipment, a supportive boss, freedom, and meaningful work are all priorities that are individually sensitive. Perhaps you cannot push on the salary, but you can increase the value of the overall package.
Get Organized. Make a written list of your skills and achievements. This will give you the confidence to present these in a coherent way and to highlight your past contributions.
Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse. You know the old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” The confidence gained through rehearsal will decrease your anxiety and allow you to remain confident and focused. As a result, you will be less likely to fold early on in the salary negotiation process.

Avoid the costly mistake of starting your career being underpaid. Know your worth and demand to be properly compensated. Your future career and financial success depend on it.

Your approach to money and salary is one of many factors covered in Shoya Zichy’s Color Q Model and new book, Career Match: Connecting Who You Are With What You’ll Love to Do. Others factors include your work-related strengths, ideal work environment and boss, range of suitable careers, entrepreneurial style and interview and job search style. For further information, visit www.ColorQPersonalities.com.

Networking Tips Learned from Serving as a Lady-In-Waiting To the Court in Exile of Queen Geraldine of Albania.

October 11, 2012 by Shoya

by Shoya Zichy

Hungarian born Geraldine, was a cousin of enduring charm and beauty. King Zog of Albania saw her photo when she was 20 and invited her to visit his country. She arrived with her chaperones and, as he had hoped, fell in love. Their wedding was triumphant. 50,000 children in native costumes sang and applauded. The plot however turned. Less than a year later, still bleeding from the birth of her son, she was carried to a vehicle on a mattress and the couple escaped from the Italian invaders. She, the king and his entourage began an odyssey that would ultimately land them in Egypt at the invitation of King Farouk. It was there that I met her as a small child and was privileged to visit her in Alexandria each summer for the next 6 years.

Later we went our separate ways. My family emigrated to the US and she ultimately went to Spain after her husband passed away. Much to my surprise she contacted me after my US college graduation and asked whether I would be interested in joining her as a lady in waiting in Madrid. I spent a memorable year with her and remember well the many lessons she taught her “ladies” to help strengthen her position in Madrid.

Things were complicated by the presence of several colonels who, under the direction of her son Crown Prince Leka, were training young Albanians in the family’s compound. Leka was hoping to launch a coup to regain his throne. Needless to say, neighbors in the fashionable neighborhood were not amused. Yet the Queen continued to be invited to social events most evenings of the week. Before each event we gathered to discuss the guests and strategies to solidify her relationship with the community. Her tips remains among the best, and have served me well ever since. I have simplified them into 3 networking steps described below:

1. Observe & listen. What clues are provided by the individual’s speech tempo and eye contact. Are they more outgoing or reserved and how much do they want to reveal about themselves? Follow their lead and adapt your response accordingly. Most of all, nod and smile frequently.
2. Ask questions: First determine from #1 how much personal information the person wants to reveal. Then ask questions that will provide more information about their interests, activities, feelings and concerns. Most of all, don’t interrupt. Let them talk.
3. Reveal key things about yourself that will make you memorable. Based on #2, you can now tell them a few interesting things about yourself that will help them remember you after the evening is over. These will differ depending on answers to the previous steps.

We practiced good openers, how to ask questions and what to reveal. After the event we gathered to share the information received. Over the coming months these tips made the evenings fun, informative and, most importantly, solidified her position among the ruling class of Madrid.

Turbulent years followed, but in 2002 Queen Geraldine, along with her son and grandson , was invited by Parliament back to Albania to live. She died at the age of 87 and was buried with full honors . Who would have thought? Targeted networking does work!

Lessons learned from growing up in the court of King Farouk

December 7, 2009 by Shoya

King Farouk

On a hot, humid evening in Alexandria, the dinner party rises from the table. Egypt in those days was a magnet for royalty in exile. On this particular evening, King Zog, the last ruler of Albania, is hosting dinner for Egypt’s ruler King Farouk, the Queen of Bulgaria and several members of the Italian royal family in exile.

King Zog is married to my cousin, Hungarian-born Queen Geraldine, hence my attendance. At six I am fully prepped for the guests and keep my mouth shut. That is fine, however, since Zog, a thoughtful man, joined me in the palace gardens several hours earlier to chitchat. He asked about the ups and downs of my life in Cairo and injected some gentle humor. A calm and kind man, he made people of all ages feel special.

King Zog

Tonight the guests are departing early knowing that Farouk is eager to play cards with Zog. During the summer months, Farouk arrives unannounced at least once a week to gamble. Zog adapts to these visits with grace knowing he is under the protection of the Egyptian monarchy.

I start moving towards the door with my parents to head up to our room. All of sudden Farouk turns to me smiling and says “the little one will sit next to me and bring me luck.” While there are less attractive sides to the king, he is kind to children and has a sense of humor, so I join him willingly. For the first hour, I watch him play and we grin at each other as he rakes in the coins. Then I stretch out over his ample lap and fall asleep. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, he gently shakes me. “We have done well, ma petite,” he whispers in French, “now you will share my earnings.” I hold up my white pinafore and he fills it with mountains of bills and coins — the equivalent of several thousand pounds (1 pound in those days was worth about US $5). I thank him and head out trying to keep the dozens of menservants standing in the hallway from dipping their hands into my bounty. Upstairs, my parents stare at the pile in shocked amazement. The funds will keep us afloat for a number of months!! As Hungarian refugees who arrived several years earlier, life in exile is interesting but not always easy. More details will follow in future blogposts.

LESSON LEARNED: It’s not who you know, but how you get to know the person that produces dramatic results — especially if you are six years old and you fall asleep on the King’s lap.

Dinner with the Ambassador

February 23, 2014 by Shoya

It is 6 pm and I am sitting with the South American ambassador for my monthly dinner. Once a month he invites me without my parents. I am 8 years old and the Cairo community smiles indulgently. He misses his kids is the word around town.

So “my little one” he says with a warm smile. “What have you heard this week?” The reality is that the ambassador discovered the previous year that I visit many of society’s children. Following our escape from Hungary, my parents were invited to Egypt by King Farouk so invitations are not in short supply. Each household has a staff in excess of 30 – governesses, butlers, cooks, maids etc – and they do chatter about what goes on in other households. I love gossip so listen attentively and often share with the ambassador some of the choice tidbits. Tonight, I tell him the story of a party given the previous week by another recently arrived ambassador. The man hired the king’s cook as caterer, thinking only of his expertise. The king crashed the party at 11 PM – as he often did – only to discover that the guests were using the palace china, silver and food provided by his cook. In a fit of rage, he began throwing plates against the wall and everyone took quick cover in adjoining rooms. The ambassador howls with laughter hearing this, as does the serving staff of 3 – so much so, that food from the platters is dripping on the embassy floor!

15 years later I am in Paris working for Coca Cola and representing the firm at a cocktail party. My host says “there is a man charging across the room who wants to talk to you.” I turn around and there is the ambassador whom I have not seen since we made a quick political exit from Cairo 14 years before. “Shoya,” he says with a huge grin. “I have been looking for you for years. I so wanted to tell, you saved my career!” The ambassador, it turns out, had hired the same caterer to do his coming out party the week after our dinner, and promptly cancelled him the following day.

Lesson learned. Always pay attention to those below you. Often they have information that your peers and superiors do not.

Cool Tool for Public Speakers

January 13, 2013 by Guest

by Nancy Ancowitz

Nancy Ancowitz is a business communication coach and author of Self-Promotion for Introverts®, a Publishers Weekly “best book” selection. A former Wall Street marketing vice president, Ancowitz teaches Presentation Skills for Introverts™ and communication skills at New York University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal online.

………….

I have a cool tool to help you improve your presentation skills. First, what do you do with your hands when you give a presentation? Do you look like an orchestra conductor, a flight attendant giving safety instructions, or more like a mummy?

How about your voice? Does it go up an octave out of nervousness, flatten into a monotone, or do you blast through your entire talk in a single breath because you can’t wait to get it over with?

Instead, I hope that you’re comfortable with public speaking. And that your gestures, voice, and facial expressions are natural and in sync with your message. If not, you can get much more at ease as a speaker by taking classes, hiring a coach, participating in Toastmasters International meetings, and, of course, by getting practice speaking in front of people. Start with small, more accessible speaking gigs at organizations where your knowledge, information, and insights can make a difference (and remember: make your talks all about them).

If you’re an introvert, you may shy away from the spotlight. Many of my clients and students at New York University(where I teach Presentation Skills for Introverts™) say they would prefer to work behind the scenes or as the second in command and draw less attention to themselves. However, those who want to get ahead dedicate themselves to improving their presentation skills to achieve their success.

One of the tools my clients and students find most helpful is a self-evaluation sheet I share that contains 30 key criteria to help them isolate the aspects of public speaking they already do well and those they want to improve.

The beauty of breaking down your presentation skills into individual criteria is that once you isolate what you want to work on, you can focus your energy on improving those criteria. It’s often easier just to focus on improving the rate of your speech if you speak too fast and reducing your fidgeting rather than trying to improve everything at once.

Of course, evaluating yourself can be challenging. You may not know how you come across. Regardless, I find that most of my students evaluate their public speaking skills accurately. However, there’s nothing like getting videotaped to see for yourself whether you’re standing up straight, smiling, and speaking in a strong, clear voice.

So are you ready for the cool tool? Print out this story and rate yourself on each of the presentation skills criteria below on a scale of 0 to 5. (Many of these criteria also apply to speaking at meetings and even to interpersonal conversations in case you’d like to rate yourself in those settings too.) Not all of the criteria will apply to every presentation you give—if that’s the case, just write down a zero for no opinion/not applicable. And I’m sure you can list additional criteria that are important to you that I haven’t included. Write those in next to item 20 next to Other.

PRESENTATION SKILLS SELF-EVALUATION TOOL

Rating scale:
(0) No opinion/not applicable
(1) Poor
(2) Fair
(3) Good
(4) Very good
(5) Excellent

Preparing for your presentation:

Audience analysis
Content (e.g., clear message; focused on audience’s interests; timely)
Beginning
Ending
Compelling facts, figures, and/or quotations
Preparing anecdotes
Presentation materials (e.g., whiteboard, PowerPoint, video, handouts, props)
Speaker’s notes (If you use them, how effective are they?)
Rehearsals
Getting sufficient rest beforehand

Delivering your presentation:

Appearance (clothing, accessories, grooming)
Posture
Facial expressions
Eye contact (cultural appropriateness notwithstanding)
Hand gestures (i.e., natural movements; no fidgeting)
Other movements (e.g., getting onstage, walking around during presentation)
Vocal variety (e.g., tone, volume, pace)
Natural vocal pitch (i.e., not higher or lower than your normal speaking voice)
Speaking clearly
Speaking concisely (no rambling)
Minimal verbal filler (e.g., um, er, you know)
Engaging audience
Giving a clear outline of what’s ahead (when applicable)
Telling anecdotes
Using visual aids (i.e., not turning your back to your audience; advancing your slides)
Summarizing key points (when applicable)
Managing Q&A
Handling challenging situations (e.g., technical difficulties, longwinded question askers)
Time management (i.e., sticking to allotted time slot; not rushing)
Other: _____________________________

How did you rate? First take stock of your 4’s and 5’s. What are you already good at as a presenter? Next, pick a few of the criteria with the lowest scores. Make a game plan for improving them. You can do that by focusing on those criteria while you’re rehearsing. The usual means of support—a class and/or a coach—can help as well. Of course, in many settings, you can obtain feedback from your audience.

If you’d like to learn more about public speaking specifically for introverts, you can read more in my book, Self-Promotion for Introverts®. Also check out my blog posts, “Presentation Skills for Introverts: Tiger and the Full Tilt Boogie” and “Public Speaking for Introverts: Zonesing for the Zone.” Here’s to your improved platform skills!

Will You Be Underpaid?: What Your Personality Says About Your Approach To Money & Salary Negotiations

August 29, 2012 by Shoya

Take a quick look at the options below. Choose one from each set of statements. At least 51% of the time, do you tend to be more:

___ tactful and diplomatic

___ apt to avoid conflict where possible

___ empathetic

___ accepting at first

___ apt to take things personally

or ___ direct and frank?

or ___ apt to meet conflict head on?

or ___ analytical?

or ___ skeptical at first?

or ___ objective about criticism?

If you’ve chosen more items from the column on the left, research shows you will probably be underpaid by at least 25% of your true value. This is not because you lack skills or talent, but because you are not asking for your due. The chances are you like the job and the people and when a reasonable number is offered, you accept it rather than create conflict. It is easy to fall into this “funk,” but it does not have to be your ongoing fate!

You need to learn from those who chose more items from the right column. These individuals are typically paid more than the previous group; not because they produce superior work, but because they know their worth and demand to be properly compensated. So if you are in the group on the left, which makes up 50% of the population, and 65% of women, what can you do about it?

1. Research Your Position. Search salary websites, and talk to people who are in similar career professions.

2. Determine Your Priorities. Salary, bonus, vacation, health benefits, technologically advanced equipment, a supportive boss, freedom, and meaningful work are all priorities that are individually sensitive. Perhaps you cannot push on the salary, but you can increase the overall package.

3. Get Organized. Make a list of your skills and achievements. Prepare to present these as well as highlight your past contributions and accomplishments.

4. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse. You know the old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” Find someone with whom to role play. The confidence gained through rehearsal will decrease your anxiety and allow you to remain confident and focused. As a result, you will be less likely to fold early on in the salary negotiation process.

Avoid the costly mistake of starting your career being underpaid. Know your worth and demand to be properly compensated. Your future career and financial success depend on it. Your approach to money is one of many factors covered in Shoya Zichy’s Color Q Model and book, Career Match: Connecting Who You Are With What You’ll Love to Do. Others factors include your work-related strengths, ideal work environment and boss, range of suitable careers, entrepreneurial style and interview and job search style.

Your Organizational Personality: Finding The Right Fit Is Key To Success

August 17, 2012 by Shoya

Corporate culture is the sum of an organization’s goals, behaviors and values. Fortunate individuals who find themselves in the right culture feel both energized and highly valued by their boss, peers and subordinates. Others, in the wrong setting, will be stifled and frustrated by practices and processes that run counter to their natural style. Finding the right culture for your personality is a key component to job success and overall quality of life. Please note that neither of the two types described below is better or smarter. Each has its success stories and failures. They key is knowing yourself and finding the right fit.

Cultural fit is closely related to the Structured and Adaptable components.

Check Your True Preference Below:

__meet deadlines early                         OR __meet deadlines at the last minute

__make detailed plans before you start   OR __handle problems as they arise

__are punctual and sometimes early        OR __tend to be leisurely

__like to be scheduled                            OR __prefer to be spontaneous

__have a tidy workplace                         OR __have a workplace with many piles

MORE ITEMS ON THE LEFT? Your inborn style is “Structured” with more left-brain activity.   You thrive in a stable work environment with well-defined job responsibilities. You prefer working with tried and true products and processes that have been tested in the past.   You are seen as responsible, punctual and accountable and like to be rewarded for getting the job done in an efficient and organized manner. You typically do not like change, too many surprises or having to work with co-workers who are too flexible and/or easy going. You have a neat desk, closet, files and car. You balance your checkbook on a regular basis and keep firm control over your assets. Even relaxation is organized – play comes after the work is done.   Life is tidy and predictable and you like it that way!

Your special strengths include:

Setting and pursuing long term goals

Organizing projects and developing efficient systems

Meeting and enforcing deadlines

Properly using and conserving resources

Completing all parts of work with precision and accuracy

MORE CHOICES ON THE RIGHT? You are an “Adaptable” with more right-brain activity. Chances are you prefer to work in a flat hierarchy, with the opportunity redefine your job every day. You excel at creating new products and processes and thrive on dealing with the unexpected. Variety, change, and a flexible environment without undue rules or bureaucracy is best for you. You need to be rewarded for your willingness to take risks and to get things done, often without the assistance of others. You are seen as spontaneous and adaptable. Typically casual in your clothing and irreverent in manner, you also tend not to balance your checkbook too frequently. And if work is not fun, it is not worth doing!

Your special strengths are:

Responding easily to unexpected changes and crises

Multi-tasking and keeping several balls in the air at the same time

Being flexible, accommodating and easy to work with

Applying skills and interests to new fields

Solving problems in original ways

THE CONFLICT

There are many conflicts between the two groups – both in the workplace and in families (we tend to marry our opposite). Structured types drive their opposites crazy with their need for schedules, plans, and closure. Meanwhile Adaptables may be perceived as messy and irresponsible by their Structured counterparts. Understanding these inborn differences and the contributions of each increases workplace satisfaction and productivity. It will also make for a happier marriage and better parenting.

DO COMPANIES HAVE ONLY ONE CULTURE?

Despite an overall “culture: environments have different work niches for the other personality type. For instance companies like IBM will have a few departments designed to explore new markets and products. These groups may be heavily populated by Adaptables who create a unique culture within their units. Similarly a large bank, normally a bastion of structured behavior, will have overseas posts filled with employees always ready get on a plane on a moment’s notice to pursue a new client. Likewise companies like Google need operating units with more Structured components. Accounting, project management and operations are just a few that will typically draw and be run by individuals with the laser beam focus needed to carry out the responsibilities of the group. Recognizing that you are good fit with your unit, but at odds with the company’s culture at a large, reduces stress. It is easier to point out your value to the company if you understand the larger framework in which you operate.

CLUES TO RECOGNIZING THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Can you determine the corporate culture during the interviewing process? The degree of noise, conditions of desks and dress code may provide clues. The Structured environments tend to be more subdued. Employees have desks with limited and neatly organized piles. The clothing usually is more formal. Deadlines and punctuality are high priorities. In an Adaptable environment there is “restrained chaos.” Deadlines, clothing and schedules are more casual and desks have many piles.

IN SUMMARY. The world divides fairly equally between the two groups. There are no gender differences and the percentages hold up across cultures worldwide, even though some cultures seem to express values that favor one group over the other. Differences are inborn and hold up from cradle to grave. Finding the right corporate culture will allow you to define your unique strengths and brand yourself so others appreciate your contributions. This is one of the most important steps to career success. It will also reduce stress, free up your creativity and improve your relationship with your co-workers, clients, families and friends.