Is George Bailey a Member of the Self-Responsible Performer Club?

Each holiday season I seem to catch the holiday classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, and this past weekend I watched it again. It is one of the few holiday classics that I enjoy watching during the season along with the “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, “A Christmas Carol”, and “A Christmas Story”. I realize that “It’s A Wonderful Life” is a little corny but there are several messages that resonate with me, and getting to see this classic movie each year reminds me of those important messages.

When watching it this past weekend I saw a scene that stuck out to me this year more than it has in the past. Near the latter part of the movie George Bailey has realized how much trouble he is in with the loss of $8,000 by his uncle Billy. George and Billy search everywhere for the envelope of cash, but were not able to find the cash. In desperation, George goes to Potter’s office and asks Potter for help. George tells Potter that he has misplaced $8,000. Potter questions George to clarify what he heard, “You lost the money?” knowing full well that it was Billy who lost the money. George responses back to Potter with a yes and a nod of his head. And there it is: George takes full responsibility for the actions of his employees. That is George Bailey, who we have grown to love - Mr. Responsible.

A week earlier, I conducted an interview skills workshop for a group of hiring managers at a Hi-Tech company. I took the group through an exercise about hiring self-motivated, self-responsible employees. The exercise always seems to hit home with hiring managers because they realize that their top performers are self-motivated, self-responsible employees. The employees are goal oriented, accountable for their results, and take 100% responsibility for their actions. They always learn from their mistakes and grow from them. The exercise helps managers focus their interview questions on the candidates’ motivations and accountability.

If hiring managers are looking for self-motivated, self-responsible employees, you, as job seeker, might be asking yourself if I am one of those performers. Here is a set of questions to assess yourself.

On a scale of 1 (disagree) to 9 (agree), rate yourself on each question:

1. I take full responsibility for all my on-the-job performance.


2. I feel that I have a fair share in the successes and failures of my company. As such, I feel vested in helping my company to succeed.


3. I understand that my actions are a direct result of my thoughts and behaviors I choose.


4. I set my own clear objectives. I monitor my progress, assess my outcomes and design feedback loops into my work.


5. I admit to my mistakes and shortcomings and strive to learn from them so not to repeat them again the future.


6. I regularly examine my strengths, weaknesses and limitations and seek continuous feedback.


7. I believe that I am, at bottom line, my own boss.


8. I aim to be a high performer for my company, but never at the expense of others.


9. I use my words and actions to provide a positive influence on others.


10. I am ultimately responsible for everything that is going on in my own head. I don’t blame other persons, places, or things for the thoughts I chooses to use.

Add up the number you have marked down for each question. The following categories will give you an idea how you compare with individuals that are self-motivated, self-responsible performers.

• 70 – 90: You are a full member of the Self-Motivated, Self-Responsible Performers Club (Look out George Bailey)


• 40 – 69: You are moving towards Self-Motivated, Self-Responsible Performer Club


• 39 or less: You have a long way to go to the Self-Motivated, Self-Responsible Performer Club membership

They Want Me! Can I Negotiate?

I regularly get the call for job seekers that are in the latter stages of the hiring process and the conversation goes something like this:

Job Seeker: “I just got offered the job with ABC Company.” (excitement in their voice)
Mike: “Great job! Congratulations. Tell me about it. I want to hear all the good stuff.
Job Seeker: “It is great job. The people are great. I have great responsibilities. But (long pause) the offer isn’t quite right. The ________(fill in the word: Salary, Bonus, Title, Vacation, Benefits) isn’t what I was hoping for. In this job market, can I negotiate?”

When job seekers ask me for my thoughts on negotiating, I always say, why not? This is the time to negotiate if you want to. You won’t be able to negotiate after you start. If the offer doesn’t have some of the key things you are looking for, it can’t hurt to ask.

I typically will get the response from the job seeker that if he or she tries to negotiate, it might anger the company resulting in the company pulling the offer. One senior VP level job seeker asked me this question a few months back. After we discussed it for a while, he went home and shared my suggestions to his wife. A half hour later, he calls me. He proceeded to tell me that his wife asked him if I was nuts. Does he realize what the market is like out there right now? I am sure there were a few adjectives thrown around to describe my craziness.

It is my experience that most companies and hiring managers have spent hours upon hours sourcing you and vetting you to make sure you are the right fit for the company, their department, and their team. Once they have made the decision to offer you the job they don’t want to lose that investment in the time and money it took to find you. At that point, they have determined that you are the right candidate.

I have found that most of the concerns by job seekers really stem around a fear of how to effectively approach it. They realize that they haven’t honed that skill and aren’t comfortable trying it at the point of the offer. Here are a few things to consider if you are considering negotiating your offer.

Ask for the Offer in Writing: Always ask for the offer in writing. It is a good practice to understand all the components of the offer. If something is not in your offer letter than you don’t know if it is truly going to be a part of your total package.

Prepare and Compare: Do a comparison analysis of your offer with your prior job compensation and benefits. Divide a sheet of paper list out the components. Translate your benefits in to dollar amounts. For example a week of vacation is worth 1/52 of your annual base salary. What are the differences in the 401(k) match? What are the differences in premium contributions to the health plans? Once you have listed everything out and summed up the totals, look at what the variation is between the offer and your past comp/benefits package.

Understand What Is Important To You: Think about what it will take for you to say “yes.” What would the offer look like for you to feel completely excited? You need to determine what is minimally acceptable to you. What will you compromise on? Will you tradeoff a lower salary with a higher bonus? Do you want four weeks of vacation but will take three weeks if that is what is offered? Sometime companies are able to tradeoff in one area to compensate for another area.

Show Excitement: Start your discussion with by reminding them of how interested you are in the role and your excitement about starting. Thank them for the offer and the opportunity. Reinforce this message throughout the discussion. Set up the meeting to be in person if possible. It is easier to read the body language, face expressions, and general tone of the discussion.

Use Questions: Share with them that you have questions about the offer and the total compensation package (the compensation and benefits). Express to them that you have reviewed their offer (remember to reinforce your excitement) in comparison to your prior company and that you what to know if there is some room for movement in a few areas. For example: Is it possible to move the base salary by $200 per month? That would bring me closer to the total compensation package that I am accustomed to and I would be willing to start next Monday. You are not trying to corner them.

Follow up: If you get changes to the offer, ask for the revisions in a revised offer letter. Remember to thank them for their time and interest in you.