Anyone want a second opinion on a work problem?

My morning so far has been taken up with dealings with newspapers. I had to reply to an email enquiry from a columnist with the Toronto Metro and I just finished a telephone interview with a journalist from The Guardian. And only last month, I was asked by The Times newspaper to offer some advice to a reader with a bit of a job hunting quandary. The reader asked:

A friend told me about a great job she saw advertised. She was going to apply for it and joked that I should too. So I did. I got an interview but I don’t think that she did. Should I withdraw out of loyalty, since she saw the job first, or should I go for the job anyway?'

You can read my thoughts on the matter here.

Anyway, all of this got me thinking. So, does anyone have any career or management issues that they'd like some help with?

As a coach and consultant I work with a wide variety of people from individual job hunters, employees and managers to large organisations. Perhaps it's a case of office politics, a nightmare colleague or a bad boss. Maybe your career has hit a rut or you're on the hunt for a new job. Maybe you are thinking of embarking on a new venture or have already done so. Or you're a manager struggling with the team or how to grow the business.

Whatever your issue, leave me a comment and I'll give you my humble opinions.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's Doctor Rob...

Given that YouTube is rapidly taking over the world, I thought I'd add my own small contribution to the gazillions of video clips out there. But I'm afraid you won't find any hot sex in my clip! Earlier this year I presented a TV show for the BBC called 'How To Get Your Dream Job' - basically a reality programme in which I tried to help losers candidates get, er, their dream jobs.

This little video clip shows me in action. If you can get past the first slightly dull minute of me commenting on some job applicants, then the rest of the clip shows me using some unorthodox techniques to coach them in the vital skills they need to get their... (yes, you guessed it) dream jobs!

Sales success: Advice from some Harvard professor types

This month's Harvard Business Review is a must-read for anyone who has to sell for a living. Whether you're Chief Sales Officer for a global business or an entrepreneur/small business owner, the July-August issue focuses on sales - ranging from how to develop better sales networks to techniques for understanding buyers better.

One of the articles, 'What Makes A Good Salesman' argues that empathy is an essential quality for sales people:

Having empathy does not necessarily mean being sympathetic. One can know what the other fellow feels without agreeing with that feeling. But a salesman simply cannot sell well without the invaluable and irreplaceable ability to get a powerful feedback from the client through empathy.

The article goes on to argue:

The salesman with good empathy... senses the reactions of the customer and is able to adjust to these reactions. He is not simply bound by a prepared sales track, but he functions in terms of the real interaction between himself and the customer. Sensing what the customer is feeling, he is able to change pace, double back on his track, and make whatever creative modifications might be necessary to home in on the target and close the sale.

Anyway, this special edition is packed with articles on selling. If you want to sell, buy this issue. And no, I don't get commission from the editors!

Trust your intuition

I was with a client, a major advertising agency, yesterday. They're preparing to pitch for the advertising account of a consumer goods company and they wanted some input on the topic of intuition and how people make decisions.

To sum up, I said that people are often scared of relying on their intuition. But we shouldn't be.

Here’s the science bit. Brain research shows that we may engage in something called traverse processing. These thought processes are subconscious, but not necessarily irrational. Sometimes we can’t access how or why we came to a conclusion, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t based on some kind of factual processing. At times our subconscious might be dealing with information that is more intricate and subtle than the conscious brain can interpret.

So don't ignore your instincts and intuition entirely. They can often be surprisingly accurate.

Copying isn't good for you - it's GREAT

If a school kid copies another student's work, it's called cheating. But copying in the world of work is not only tolerated but actively encouraged. Businesses copy from each other all the time - they just call it 'benchmarking' or 'identifying best practices'.

Anyone who wants to succeed should copy more too. 'Cause all around you, there are successful people, achieving great things. As a business psychologist I coach managers and entrepreneurs on how to achieve more. So I always say: Why reinvent the wheel?

If you're an entrepreneur and you meet someone who has a winning manner when charming investors, why not try to adopt some of their techniques? If you're trying to climb an organisational career ladder, look for the people who seem to be shooting up the hierarchy - what is it they say or do that has them on the fast track? Perhaps they have a certain way of handling conflict that accords them respect. Or maybe it's their ability to schmooze and get noticed by the right people.

A warning though. This isn't about wholesale copying. It's about being selective - about spotting the particular phrases or behaviours you might want to add to your repertoire. The CEO may appear committed and passionate when he bangs his fist on the table. You'll seem like a petulant child.

Top ten secrets to getting a free airline upgrade

I've not posted for a few days because I've spent most of the last week on a short business trip. I just got back yesterday from a long haul flight and was lucky enough to get a free upgrade (seat 1A if you must know - and yes the lobster dinner and vintage champagne, plus flat bed and fluffy duvet do make a flight seem more comfortable).

But I was watching people at both the check-in desk and the boarding gate trying to talk their way into free upgrades. Some succeeded; others, well, they crashed and burned. So here's a countdown of my top ten tips for getting a free upgrade:

10. Be a member of the airline's frequent flyer programme. And present your frequent flyer card to everyone (check-in staff, gate staff, cabin crew) you meet on your journey.

9. Be 'SFU' (suitable for upgrade) by dressing smartly. Many airlines want to retain the prestige of their upper classes. Dress for leisure and be prepared to stay in economy. Dress for business (down to your shoes and your carry-on luggage) and you'll maximise your chances.

8. Be unfailingly polite. Upgrades are totally discretionary so if you are at all rude or irritable, they will undoubtedly decide to leave you in cattle class.

7. Leave the kids behind. Airlines are loath to disturb the peace and quiet of their business travellers. If you've got screaming kids, you won't get upgraded.

6. Try to book a flight when the economy cabin is likely to be full. If economy's full and they need to bump people up, you'll have a better chance than if there are plenty of seats down the back.

5. Have a tiny amount of hand luggage. The airline staff won't want you disturbing the other premium passengers with a piece of hand baggage the size of a truck.

4. Try asking indirectly for an upgrade. For example, if you and your partner are sat separately, ask whether there might be room for you to sit together elsewhere - as spare seats together are often in a better class.

3. Try asking at the gate as opposed to the check-in desk. The ground staff at the boarding gate will have a better sense of how many free seats they have than the check-in staff.

2.Try asking a senior member of cabin crew once you are on board the aircraft - look for the different coloured tie or jacket they may be wearing to the other, more junior members of crew. This is the time you present your frequent flyer card if you have one.

1. Linger at the boarding gate until as late as humanly possible before getting on the plane. Staff are more likely to upgrade you if there aren't other passengers around who might overhear you getting a free upgrade and wanting one too.

And here's an extra tip:

0. Sleep with a member of cabin crew. Well, this is probably not something you can do as you step onto the plane and present your boarding card. But spouses, long-term partners, or even 'designated friends' of cabin crew always get treated better than mere mortals. And this isn't as hard as it sounds - British Airways alone has several thousand check-in staff and dispatchers plus over 30,000 cabin crew!

Good luck and let me know how you get on!