June 10, 2020 • 37 mins
Not everyone has worked for a company that sells Nuclear Submarines and Gulfstream jets, but our Special Guest Janet Guertin is that special someone. After a successful career with General Dynamics (global aerospace and defense company that manufactures everything from combat vehicles to nuclear-powered submarines), she founded The Dividend Factor where she and her team pursue and capture Defense Industry contracts. She's also a certified leadership speaker and coach with a John Maxwell Team, one of the largest leadership training organizations in the world.
So you want a raise? Janet says it’s a simple cycle - “Take more responsibility, show off your skillset, develop your reputation, people decide they want to work with you, and that drives raises and promotions.”
She says, “We cannot lead others until we can lead ourselves. If you’re going to work with a team, and you want a lot in return, you’ll have to give them everything you’ve got.”
“I've told a guy, “Hey, you don't understand my market value. This is simple - I want to be paid commensurate with my market value.”
For my company, I represent the customer and to the customer, I represent the company and my job is to make the most efficient use of everybody's time. My mission is to match the right people with the right people when the timing is right.
Janet is a wealth of knowledge and you don't want to miss it!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amanda (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Raise Up Podcast.
The only spot on the internet,where you can learn from
industry experts, how to get araise at your job.
If it's your first time,welcome.
We're so glad you're here.
And if you're a returning RaiseUp Nation OG, welcome back, and
thank you.
It is because of you that thispodcast now has a global reach.
Can you believe it?
(00:28):
We have people listening nowfrom 10 different countries.
It's so cool to say that becausetogether we are helping so many
people.
So, thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm Amanda LeFever, your host,and we have a fantastic guest
this week.
I'm pumped for you to meet her,her name is Janet Guertin.
Janet is a successful consultantin the defense industry.
(00:49):
After a career with GeneralDynamics, the global aerospace
and defense company, thatmanufacturer manufacturers, I
keep getting caught up on thatword, everything from Gulf
Stream business jets and combatvehicles to nuclear-powered
submarines.
She founded the Dividend Factorwhere she and her team provide
(01:09):
capture planning and pursuitmanagement on defense industry
contracts.
Doesn't she sound so cool?
My gosh.
I'm not even done.
She's also a certifiedleadership speaker and coach
with John Maxwell Team.
One of the largest leadershiptraining organizations in the
world.
Janet, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
Janet (01:29):
Oh, thank you for having me.
It's great to be here.
Thank you.
Amanda (01:32):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
So, first I have to say a careerin the defense industry and at
General Dynamics sounds prettyexciting.
What was your favorite part ofthat chapter of your life?
Janet (01:44):
Oh my goodness.
It is fascinating to be part ofthe defense industry in any
capacity, but to do businessdevelopment for one of the
greatest companies, that Ibelieve is in America, is just
an honor, and it's all beenstretching me through my whole
life.
I'm still working with GeneralDynamics very closely.
(02:05):
So, while they do all thosecool, sexy things, you can
imagine.
I landed in composites, whichled me to military shelters,
tactical shelters, and thefavorite part of my career is
the international business thatI was able to participate in.
Love, love, doing deals withother militaries.
(02:25):
We've done some deals with Japanand India, so it's just been
places I wouldn't have gone onvacation for sure but got to go
over and meet some phenomenalleaders.
So, that's really been special,but yeah, shelters is kind of my
gig.
Amanda (02:42):
That's amazing.
So, you've been to Japan then?
Janet (02:46):
I have, we did a deal.
I was actually doing thechemical and biological
detection equipment group atthat time.
And, since General Dynamics hassold that to Chemring, right
here in Charlotte, NorthCarolina, where I lived and, we
did some deals to help them whenthey had that subway.
You might remember that attack along time ago.
(03:09):
So, we have some equipment thatcan help detect and heal.
And I think in this time ofCOVID, it's wonderful to know
that there is a technology basethat is looking for ways to
detect biological agents and cancertainly help them steer what
the plan of action is forcorrection and budget.
(03:29):
That's not me, I'm not theexpert.
I'm the humbled one that don't,I don't know what they're
talking about after the timethat in English.
Amanda (03:39):
That's amazing.
So, as we talked about earlier,we're both part of the John
Maxwell team and our friend, Mr.
John C.
Maxwell has had a huge impact onmy life.
And a lot of the listeners areright in the middle of trying to
be better leaders in theirworkplaces.
Is there anything you want toshare with our listeners about
your leadership journey thatmight help them out?
Janet (04:01):
Oh yes.
John Maxwell is amazing.
So, you can't go wrong with anyof his teachings.
His teachings are simple tounderstand and difficult to
apply when the pressure is on.
But leading ourselves, well, ofcourse is the biggest challenge.
We cannot lead others until welead ourselves well.
And last year, John, released abook, developing the leader
(04:22):
within you 2.0, the secondversion of that.
And I had a lot of fun helpingteams through that teaching
seasoned teams by going throughthe book and what we call
masterminding, and reallydigging in and seeing how we can
apply those lessons.
But it is essential unless yourlife is something other people
(04:44):
want to follow.
You won't be able to lead well.
Amanda (04:49):
That's true.
What do you feel like yourbiggest takeaway was from that
book?
Janet (04:54):
Purposeful priorities, kind of a re-branding of his
roles and responsibilitieschapter, but I kind of took off
on that and added it to myFranklin planner and did a
refresh on the purposefulpriorities and really looking at
my time unit as a whole.
(05:15):
It's not that time we manage,right?
It's our priorities that wemanage.
Amanda (05:20):
I've never heard that before.
So, what does he, how does heteach that?
What is it?
What's the approach?
Janet (05:25):
The chapter on developing the leader within you has to do
with assessing your roles andresponsibilities.
So, if you're a mom, if you're awife, if you're a career person
and looking at, you know, whatyou only you can do, and then
taking it to the next level,what do you need to remove from
(05:46):
your life?
What's not a priority that onlyyou can do?
What's something you might beable to delegate.
So, it's a really, just a goodintrospective look.
And then by adding it topurposeful priorities, I look at
it as, you know, what are mypassions?
What are the things in life thatI want my life to be made of?
And so, a long time ago, when Ipicked up a planner that looks
(06:08):
like I really want to understandthe globe.
I like global culture andlessons in that.
So, I made that a priority.
It was a lens from which I madethe decisions to go to places
like Israel and Japan, and dobusiness deals because I had
already set that as one of mylife priorities.
Amanda (06:25):
I love that Israel and Egypt.
Oh my gosh.
And Japan?
You've been all over.
Janet (06:31):
I went to Israel for sure.
Seven, six times, I guess.
But yet that's incredible.
And I believe it was from thepractice of saying, okay, you
know, what am I want my life tobe made of?
I want to understand differentcultures from their perspective.
So, yeah, it makes it easy.
So, you get that opportunity.
Like I had to go to Africa onSafari with eight women for 10
(06:56):
days, and it was through thatlens.
I've made it a priority.
Yes, I'm in.
Amanda (07:00):
So, do you also make priorities at work as well?
Does it teach how to do that aswell?
What is, what is something thathe teaches?
Janet (07:10):
Well, as far as priorities go as it relates to
the Dividend Factor, I alwaysprioritize my clients and their
priorities, and the timing.
And is there, is there anoverlap, so, do I need to bring
in extra help or is thissomething I better say no to?
And it's not uncommon for me todecline work, because I want to
(07:32):
make sure that everything we do,we have the bandwidth to do it
with excellence.
Amanda (07:37):
How do you think that this applies to people that are
kind of working in corporateAmerica, and asking for a raise
or feeling like they're up for apromotion that they're doing so
much?
How do they prioritize theirtime and kind of be more
purposeful?
Janet (07:53):
I've always seen it as creating a circle of excellence.
Even when I was doing jobs thatI felt weren't up to what my
potential was, but if I wentinto it thinking, well, if my
potential is so much greaterthen I can do this job with
excellence.
So, I took on moreresponsibilities even without
the pay or the title and createdthat circle of excellence.
Well, that's where you get yourreputation from, and it is also
where people decide if they wantto work with you or not.
So, not getting frustrated whenyou're not at the level that you
want to be, but keeping thevision that if I am worth more,
if I am, if I have higherpotential than this I can
certainly knock this out.
and show my skill set by goingabove and beyond, then you step
into the responsibilities thatdrive raises, that drive
promotions.
and people want to work withyou.
So, I can honestly say that theteam I work with at General
Dynamics, when I wentindependent, hired me back as a
consultant because of thatfoundation, that if I'm going to
work with them, I'm going togive them everything I got.
Amanda (09:03):
Right, and you had a great reputation with them, it
sounds like, and they love towork with you so well.
It sounds like it.
I think that whenever we'rethinking about raises, at least
for me, it was never reallyabout, whether or not people
like to work with me.
It was always about what I wasdoing, and how I was performing,
(09:25):
and what I was putting out this,not level of collaboration, but
this environment almost ofcollaboration seems like it's
absolutely necessary in orderfor, to get raises and
promotion.
What, what do you think?
Janet (09:41):
Yes, I think you've hit it on the head.
I think we can look at ourresponsibility and do that with
excellence, but if we're notbringing that energy and helping
to drive a culture of creativityand growth, then we're not
adding that value that we wantto get paid extra for.
Amanda (09:59):
Have you ever found yourself working in a toxic work
environment?
We have a lot of people that,they have insecure or bad
managers.
And I don't know.
I feel like they deserve araise, but they know that their
boss isn't going to give themlike a fair shake.
(10:19):
So, I'm not sure how?
You know, it sounds like youhave a good answer.
Janet (10:29):
I have been there and it's extremely frustrating.
It was not General Dynamics.
I actually left the company, andjust to grow and do some other
things.
And I did land myself into acouple of different situations
of the toxic environment, andbosses that were insecure and,
one in particular stands outbecause he was just angry and he
(10:54):
said, I'm going to turn up theheat and see what frogs jump
out, you know, that kinda thing.
Man, Oh, yes.
I just remember, I am spiritual.
Thank you.
I do have a relationship withGod.
And so, during that time, youreally do draw on that extra
strength that isn't within us,all of us, but as a person of
(11:17):
faith, as John would say, thathelped me to try to gain wisdom
and to shut my mouth.
Because my natural instinct, asyou can tell already, I like to
talk, I like to engage indialogue that might address this
negative behavior, but there arepeople, as Dr.
Henry Cloud teaches that arenarcissists.
(11:38):
There are people that are trulysick in the workplace.
And so, dealing with that kindof a toxic environment is very
dangerous.
But on a more benign level,there are managers that are just
insecure because they in overtheir heads and they're
inexperienced and they, theydon't want to be transparent.
They don't want to be vulnerablewith their team, which is
(12:00):
essential to being a greatleader.
But if you're in a situationwhere you've got an insecure
boss and you're doing well, andthey're afraid to look bad
because you might know more, youmight go further.
It's best to just be wise inthat case, watch your words
carefully.
I left an opportunity and I'vetold the guy specifically, you
(12:25):
don't understand my marketvalue.
And when it comes to raises, Ithink it's essential.
You can never ask for a raisebecause you need a raise because
you've made financial decisionsthat aren't healthy.
It's all about your marketvalue.
And every time I wasinterviewing or looking for a
job, I would just say, I want tobe paid commensurate with what
my market value is for thisposition.
(12:45):
And younger in my career, Iwould have been at the low end
of that.
And now I would expect to be atthe high end of that because of
the experience that I have.
And I do believe that experienceis essential in business, really
in life, but in business, inparticular, if you're looking at
asking for a raise it's basedupon experience that you have.
Amanda (13:06):
How do you think that people can improve their market
value?
I love that saying I've neverheard a phrase like that before.
Janet (13:15):
Thank you, well, today's easier than ever because of the
internet and all kinds ofstudies out there.
Certainly, LinkedIn is a placeto gauge, you know, looking at
common titles, looking at commonresponsibilities.
So, if I was to, well justrecently, somebody asked me
about business development andthe defense industry, and it's a
(13:37):
very unique mix.
Most people are either engineersor they're retired military
people and I'm neither of those.
So, again, I go back to, I dobelieve in God, I don't know how
I got here, but it is all aboutunderstanding what the mission
is.
And so, that's why when Istarted the Dividend Factor, I
wanted to leverage the capturemanagement training that I've
(13:59):
had because that's what theycall winning business in the
defense industry is calledcapture management.
And of course, becauseeverything tracks closely with
our military acronyms andculture and authority.
So, it's something where youreally got to like that kind of
structure.
(14:20):
And so, I would just say, youknow, research what's going on
online in an industry with thosetitles, with those words sets
and see, does that strike apassion in you?
Amanda (14:32):
I like that.
So, you are dealing withengineers, retired military, and
you said you're neither one ofthose types of personalities.
So, that sounds like a veryinteresting mix of personality
styles, is it?
Janet (14:49):
It certainly is.
And early on, I decided that myrole, whether it be called sales
back in the composites industry,I started in or marketing and
today business development, myjob is to communicate.
So, I'm not there to solve theproblem.
I need to be able to articulatethe problem.
So, for my company, I representthe customer, and to the
(15:12):
customer I represent the companyand my job is to make the most
efficient use of everybody'stime.
So, I will be matching the righttechnical people with the right
technical people when the timingis right.
So, it's just having thatability to listen, to know when,
what you don't know.
And the older I've gotten theeasier it's gotten for me to
(15:35):
know what I don't know and justbe there.
But, at first it was a littlemore difficult to say, I don't
know, but I'll find out, butthat truly is how I've ended up
doing these amazing projectsthrough the years that I've been
technically underwhelming to theteam, for sure.
Amanda (15:54):
But you have fantastic communication skills it sounds
like.
Janet (15:59):
Thank you, people skills, you know, you've really gotta be
able to relate to thoseintroverts that would rather
just look at a chart and talk toyou, but it's being able to just
appreciate everybody's gifts,and where they're operating
from, and try to pull ittogether.
Amanda (16:16):
How do you feel like you have grown in your, in your soft
skills?
It sounds like you are obviouslyvery articulate and communicate
well and you deal with differentpersonalities.
What is something that you havedone that has helped you improve
your communication?
Janet (16:32):
I read a lot.
I think that's essential pullingin from one what the author's
telling you, but two just thefunction of reading and I've
done electronic books andlistening, which is great too,
but I think it's essential to goahead and buy some hard copies,
and you know, really dig intothem, and you can learn so much
(16:53):
from other people's journeys.
And when I started way back whenI can tell you, there was a
company called Career Track, andwhat really got me on the growth
in my business career was buyingthose cassette tapes, dating
myself, and listening to them onthe way to work and just gaining
insights from those people.
(17:15):
One was called how to deal withdifficult people, another was
success self-programming, whereI learned how to talk to myself
differently.
Earl Nightingale's was on TheStrangest Secret, which was
really, we are what we thinkabout.
So, through those, I reallybegan the journey of
self-improvement by learningfrom other people.
(17:37):
And today it's no different withthe books I bought joining John
Maxwell's team, and just alwayslooking for that next best book.
And right now, the one I'mrecommending and while John's
books are all, and his latestone, Leader Shift, is very
appropriate to this time.
There's a simpler book out therecalled, The Life-Giving Leader
by Tyler Reagin who runscatalysts.
(18:00):
And I just love the thought ofbeing a life giving leader,
someone who gives hope to otherswho gives inspiration, who gives
a positive energy, cause we allgo to work and we can have the
energy zapped out of us by, youknow, what I call Eeyore, right,
the donkey.
So, yes, reading is essential inour, in our growth.
Amanda (18:23):
The Life Giving Leader, I love that.
And then there's life givingpeople, I think too, just to
kind of talk about that a littlebit more.
I think that you don't realizeit until you're around someone
that is just a life-givingperson and it's sometimes you
just are drawn to them.
Like, I feel very awesometalking to you right now.
Like I can tell that you're alife-giving person and it's
(18:45):
really an amazing thing.
Has that do you feel like you'vealways been that way or has it
been kind of a journey for you?
Janet (18:51):
Well, as a child, that energy was misplaced, but it was
always there.
It's like, fortunately God, youknow, took me down a different
road with my energy.
Amanda (19:09):
A lot of us have been there.
Janet (19:14):
So, yes, the energy is there.
It's now it's just pointed in abetter direction.
Amanda (19:17):
That's awesome.
So, we had a guest recently whotalked about skill sets.
He said that if I wanted to geta raise or promotion, should I
try to get really good at likemy current job, and just produce
like crazy, or invest timelearning the soft skills like
leadership and team buildingthat might be required for
(19:40):
management.
And this is kind of like alittle pivot from those soft
skills.
So, I'm interested to hear whatyou think.
Janet (19:48):
Well, I think our competency is what we bring.
So, it's a given that we've gotto be great at what we do.
So, if I go to do a marketassessment for a client in the
defense industry, then I betterget my butt to work reading
those DOD budget justificationdocuments that are not all to
read.
They're massive.
(20:08):
But they're the essential partof doing a DOD market study.
So, what I would say is yourcompetence is something you
should continue to refine.
As I've gotten older, I have notshied away from software
changes.
I've got sisters who, you know,just didn't bother, but you
know, fortunately by being withGD, in the beginning when
(20:30):
technology was taking off, theyalways equipped us with new
stuff.
So, I've had a little advantagethere to other folks my age, but
I mean, as technology changeseven faster for this generation,
it's essential that you are atthe top of your game,
absolutely.
Leadership, developing yourselfto the best of your potential as
it relates, not everybody's aleader.
(20:52):
Some people want to contributeby supporting a leader that they
respect, and in differentcapacities at different times,
you know, we shift.
So, yeah.
Be at the top of your game forsure.
Amanda (21:05):
Have you experienced a leader that you just really
wanted to be behind, and supportbefore in your career?
Janet (21:14):
Oh, absolutely.
There's been a few, that havementored me, and it's just
amazing when you've got a mentorwho's willing to invest in you.
One of my favorites early on,well, it was a challenge.
He was t he vice president a ndgeneral manager of one of the
fabrication divisions ofSpaulding, where I worked for a
(21:35):
long time, 17 years.
I left there, their vicepresident of sales and marketing
to move on to the defenseindustry.
Bob Shone was his name, greatguy, and he would have me write
out three solutions, one I l iketo talk, right?
So, I'd go talk to him aboutproblems.
And he's like, this has g ottastop, you go write out three
(21:55):
solutions, and work on yourwriting skills, and your
problem-solving skills.
And then w e'll talk about thepath forward.
So, that discipline stayed withme.
I would support him, you know,with whatever task or problems
we were facing in that businessunit.
Amanda (22:12):
Do you feel like it's because he gave you that type of
attention or what were thequalities that you loved the
most about him?
Janet (22:18):
He was smart and so he could see through a lot of
things that would hold othersup.
So, if it was a big problem, andit was, we decided to shut down
one of our factories, and that'shard.
Where you've got EPA issues,you've got people, obviously
issues.
You've got financial planning,helping people to find a new
(22:41):
path forward.
I think when you're facing thosebig decisions, it's essential
that you're putting the heartand mind of the people first.
And he had that.
And so, I appreciated the timehe invested in me, but he was
grooming me to take over moreresponsibility.
So, it's a win, win.
I take over more responsibility,he can do better at what he's
(23:04):
better at.
Amanda (23:05):
So, I need to clarify, is Spaulding, like the athletic
gear Spaulding?
I'm still stuck on it, or isSpaulding something else?
Janet (23:14):
Yeah, no, this Spaulding has a U in it.
It's near and dear to my heart,but I actually did pretend it
was the other Spaulding when Imet a basketball player on an
airplane from the Celtics, and Isaid, Oh, here's my Spaulding
card.
Would you give me an autograph?
He didn't have the U, either.
Amanda (23:32):
That's fantastic.
Did he give you an autograph?
Janet (23:37):
He did.
I think it was DJ, anyways.
We were up in the Boston areaand it's silly me.
I was sitting on the arm, Ididn't know, but he was tall,
and I was waiting for therestroom and I decided to sit on
the armchair of the empty seat.
And, since he towered over me, Ijust assumed, and my mom was a
huge Celtics fan so, I wanted toget the autograph.
Amanda (23:56):
Oh, that's so awesome.
I love that.
Okay.
So, my next question is, GeneralDynamics is a huge company, and
you probably went through a fewperformance reviews, and we
believe if you're afraid offormal assessments, you're going
to be hard pressed to identifyyour strengths, and your
(24:17):
weaknesses, and kind of managethose.
So, do you have any advice ifanybody is fearful of those
assessments, performancereviews?
Janet (24:28):
I think, you know before you get to a performance review.
Typically, if you're tracking ornot, if you're blindsided, then
it's, there's something amisswithin the company and you but,
I've had some great ones, likeeverything was perfect.
And then I had some where theguy was actually trying to get
rid of me, and it didn't matchup with where I felt my
(24:49):
performance was, and it was veryuncomfortable.
But, I think at the end of theday, if you do a self-assessment
error to the side of being kindto yourself, because if you're
cutting yourself down, don'texpect your boss to build you
up.
So, that's, from my standpointof having people set me up that
(25:10):
way, I had a guy that didn't dovery well for himself on his
self-assessment.
And I left everything the way itwas and he was shocked.
I didn't correct it, but Ireally wasn't at that place with
this performance.
So, it made it easy.
Amanda (25:23):
So, he thought that you would change it and like give
him higher a higher score?
Janet (25:29):
He did, and he was disappointed with me.
He said, I'm the first one thathasn't done that.
I said, well, first of all, Inever rate myself lower than
where I think I'm performing.
So, I don't have that lens, butthank you for sharing.
So, I just say, you know, knowyour strengths, know your
weaknesses.
And if you know that your bosshas a pet peeve, I would address
(25:50):
it is, you know what you'reworking on rather than just
leave it as a weakness.
It's like, this is how I'mgrowing in this area.
If that's your responsibility.
Amanda (25:59):
Did you do performance reviews?
Often?
I know that some companies willdo them once year some will do
them quarterly.
How does that typically, what,what is your experience with
things like that?
Janet (26:15):
My experience was annually.
That was enough as far as I'mconcerned.
Amanda (26:20):
I think a lot of people would say that, especially since
they're so formal.
I know that, some companies areactually moving to where there,
it's open dialogue, and they'reconstantly trying to collaborate
so that don't come up later andthat everybody's kind of pulling
in the same direction.
(26:40):
So, what are some other cluespeople should listen for in
conversations with theirmanagers that might signal the
company is open to giving them araise?
Janet (26:51):
Oh, compliments, for sure.
And especially when you'recoming in ahead of schedule,
money is time.
And so if we're doing things ina way that accelerates the path
forward, then that's a good cluethat you're adding the value to
the company that they would wantto invest it back into you.
Amanda (27:10):
Absolutely, typically we'll ask people to share some
of their war stories from,they're from raises.
It sounds like you might have afew.
So, they're always about maybesomething that happened to you
or to somebody that you know, asfar as a raise or promotion
goes, do you have anything thatyou would like to share with us?
(27:30):
Something that might'vehappened?
Janet (27:33):
Well, sure.
When I started my career, it wasat Spaulding, and I came in on
the really low side of thesalary, and companies are bound
even back then to a percentagewithin a given year for
employees.
And even when you get apromotion, there's somewhat of a
percentage tied to your pay.
So, I honestly, at some pointdecided that it was time to move
(27:58):
on, and while nothing negativereally happened, I felt like I
was kind of trapped in this,this do loop.
I've got responsibility, andthey've given me the most that
they feel they can pay me.
And so, I did start to look foranother job and I did get
another job.
I left on great terms.
All the works caught up with allthe friendships in place.
(28:20):
Again, it goes back torelationships and I went on and
took this new job and applied alot of the skill sets that I had
honed in, and was tracking well,but it was a longer commute.
And during a personal part of mylife, when I would have
preferred not to have that timespent in the car.
And they came back to me atSpaulding with an offer with a
(28:42):
promotion and a raise becausethey recognized that I could do
the job probably, you know, wasthe right one for that job.
And it was time to reassesswhere they had labeled me.
And that's the extreme, butthere are times for that kind of
a move.
And I didn't think they'd everhired me back.
I didn't go there with thisagenda.
Oh, you know, I'm going to leaveand they're going to want to
(29:03):
hire me back at a raise.
I went to pursue a new ventureand there were things about that
that made me feel like thisisn't necessarily a long-term
thing, but I can help these guysposition for this certain
market.
And when the opportunity came,where Spaulding wanted me back,
it was a no brainer for me.
And it was, win-win all around.
I'm still friends with bothcompanies.
Amanda (29:24):
That's fantastic.
It sounds like you've done somuch and super interesting
things too.
You've traveled all over theworld and you've worked with
amazing companies.
Is there anything else that youwant to add to kind of our
national conversation aboutraises?
Janet (29:40):
I would just say be patient, it's chess, not
checkers, not going to come,just because you woke up one
morning and found out somebodyelse is making more money than
you.
It's about your journey and yourvalue that you add to the
organization and how theyperceived it adds to either the
bottom line or if it's avolunteer organization or a
nonprofit, how you're helpingthe mission expand.
(30:03):
But really when we look back andwe kind of circle back to
priorities, I view everything Ido with equal importance, such
as my volunteer work atelevation church, I get to help
them with their leadershipdevelopment program for
volunteers.
I'll put as much time and effortinto preparation for that as I
will a paid mastermind with theJohn Maxwell team or leading my
(30:27):
defense business developmentefforts.
Amanda (30:31):
Nice.
So, I love that expand theirmission and then also to
continue to prioritize, like,not just at work, but prioritize
in your life as well.
You don't really think about itthat way.
I know that for me, sometimespeople would say that volunteer
work will come to the verybottom of the totem pole, but it
doesn't, I don't think that ithas to be that way, especially
(30:53):
if you're passionate about whatyou're doing.
Janet (30:57):
Exactly.
Yeah.
I served for years and years inkids' ministry.
I just love children.
They give me that energy and youknow, I just put as much into
the preparation of telling thema story or disciplining them,
whatever happened to be as Iwould my work, b ecause really
it's your life, it's your circleof excellence, whether it's a
(31:18):
volunteer or not.
Amanda (31:20):
Janet, it sounds like you have the most amazing
positive mindset.
How do you, I'm sure that youget into funks.
How do you get out of funks?
Because I know that some peopleare like, people are just so
positive all the time.
And I think that even thepositive people end up in like a
(31:40):
funky space.
So, I would love to hear how youkind of shift that?
Janet (31:45):
Yeah.
I love to walk.
So, my healthy funk removalwould be to take a walk and be
able to talk without a filter toa good friend about my funk.
The unhealthy response is wine.
Amanda (32:01):
I like wine, a lot of people like wine.
Janet (32:05):
So there's that, you know, there's the healthy
response and the not so healthy,but they both definitely make it
a little easier.
Amanda (32:16):
Okay.
So, tell us a little bit moreabout what you're up to now?
That's going to really make animpact on your industry or your
life in the next few years.
Janet (32:26):
My goodness, I have been blessed with three major defense
clients, actually two majordefense clients one's in
staffing, and the other is inhardware still with my General
Dynamics hardware shelters inspecific.
So, there's no conflict ofinterest.
That's very essential to myreputation, my long- term
relationships.
(32:46):
So, those two are just amazingwhere I can see what those big
companies are doing for ourmilitary, and how our military
is keeping our nation safe.
So, that's cool.
And then a couple years ago, awoman came to me who owns a
small armored vehicle businessin Mississippi called CITE, cash
(33:08):
in transit, CITE vehicles.
They do wonderful armoredvehicles and I've been working
with her on a long-term strategy, to get into the defense
industry.
And there's a lot to it andshe's wise woman and she's
taking her time and she said, no, I've got it.
I got the long- term.
We're really busy, short term.
(33:29):
So, I'm helping them.
And we've really landed on acouple of things where we're
getting them through cyber-security and we're getting them
through a secret facilityclearance.
These are all things essentialto operating in our defense
industry.
So, that's exciting to see itcome together.
And, with my team, we do, thereare defense companies that need
(33:50):
proposal managers.
I've got some that'll bring infor those.
I can run them as well, buttypically I don't have the time
to run them right now becausethey'll take you out for about
90 days and that's all you cando.
So, typically we'll bring insomebody on my team that do that
and we're happy to support.
Amanda (34:12):
That sounds so cool, and super interesting.
And like, you're just in yourwheelhouse with everything that
you're doing.
So, I'm really excited for you,that this is such a good spot,
it feels like.
Janet (34:27):
It's fun.
And it just topped it off when Ijoined John Maxwell in 2017.
So, that it's not what Janetsays.
It's easier to take it if I say,you know, John Maxwell teaches
this, here's a John Maxwell bookthat might help you out, you
know, and it just takes theburden off, you know, my
opinion.
Amanda (34:47):
John's a smart guy.
He's a smart guy.
Janet (34:50):
I really do.
I do some Maxwell lines here andthere, and that's just fun for
me.
And I've got the leadershipgame.
I've done that with members ofour church, and it's just a
wonderful tool.
So, yeah, I do have anopportunity to do that once in a
while.
Amanda (35:08):
That's fantastic.
So, where can people connectwith you?
Do you do leadership trainingall over or are you just in
Charlotte doing things likethat?
Janet (35:17):
I'm trying not to travel much right now, but I have been
traveling all along.
And so, I do travel to placesand we'll do resume that, in the
meanwhile Zoom is working, but Ihave a website, the Dividend
Factor.com, Dividend FactorLLC.com.
And I'm also on LinkedIn asJanet R Guertin, Facebook, Janet
(35:42):
Rutherford Guertin.
And we have a Dividend Factorpage.
And my disclaimer is this, mybusiness doesn't really like
social media.
Different defense is very, verydiscreet about what they're up
to.
And so, I don't post a lot inwhich a lot of people like about
me.
(36:03):
That's understandable.
So, I try to update my web pageabout once a quarter.
It's just not a lot of activity.
My personal Facebook page iswhere I'm most active.
And I can honestly say it'smostly sharing things that I
think are interesting.
Amanda (36:18):
That's awesome.
I'll make sure and link all ofthese things for people in the
show notes, as well as thebooks, The Life Giving Leader,
Leadershift, and Developing theLeader Within You 2.0, I
believe, is that right?
I wrote it down 2.0, so Janet,thank you so much for being on
the show.
I really appreciate it.
(36:38):
And I know that everybody'sgonna get a lot of value from
this conversation.
Janet (36:44):
Oh, Amanda.
Thanks for having me.
It was fun talking with youtoday.
Amanda (36:47):
It was fun.
Thank you.
Now, if you did find somevaluable tips in this podcast
today, please take a minute tosubscribe to the podcast because
it will only get better fromhere, and be sure to share it
and tell all of your friendsabout it on Facebook, and
Instagram, and all your socialmedia sites.
I would truly appreciate thesocial media love.
(37:08):
Thanks again for listening.
And I can't wait to connect withyou again.
Bye for now.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Raise Up Podcast.
The only spot on the internet,where you can learn from
industry experts, how to get araise at your job.
If it's your first time,welcome.
We're so glad you're here.
And if you're a returning RaiseUp Nation OG, welcome back, and
thank you.
It is because of you that thispodcast now has a global reach.
Can you believe it?
(00:28):
We have people listening nowfrom 10 different countries.
It's so cool to say that becausetogether we are helping so many
people.
So, thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm Amanda LeFever, your host,and we have a fantastic guest
this week.
I'm pumped for you to meet her,her name is Janet Guertin.
Janet is a successful consultantin the defense industry.
(00:49):
After a career with GeneralDynamics, the global aerospace
and defense company, thatmanufacturer manufacturers, I
keep getting caught up on thatword, everything from Gulf
Stream business jets and combatvehicles to nuclear-powered
submarines.
She founded the Dividend Factorwhere she and her team provide
(01:09):
capture planning and pursuitmanagement on defense industry
contracts.
Doesn't she sound so cool?
My gosh.
I'm not even done.
She's also a certifiedleadership speaker and coach
with John Maxwell Team.
One of the largest leadershiptraining organizations in the
world.
Janet, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
Janet (01:29):
Oh, thank you for having me.
It's great to be here.
Thank you.
Amanda (01:32):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
So, first I have to say a careerin the defense industry and at
General Dynamics sounds prettyexciting.
What was your favorite part ofthat chapter of your life?
Janet (01:44):
Oh my goodness.
It is fascinating to be part ofthe defense industry in any
capacity, but to do businessdevelopment for one of the
greatest companies, that Ibelieve is in America, is just
an honor, and it's all beenstretching me through my whole
life.
I'm still working with GeneralDynamics very closely.
(02:05):
So, while they do all thosecool, sexy things, you can
imagine.
I landed in composites, whichled me to military shelters,
tactical shelters, and thefavorite part of my career is
the international business thatI was able to participate in.
Love, love, doing deals withother militaries.
(02:25):
We've done some deals with Japanand India, so it's just been
places I wouldn't have gone onvacation for sure but got to go
over and meet some phenomenalleaders.
So, that's really been special,but yeah, shelters is kind of my
gig.
Amanda (02:42):
That's amazing.
So, you've been to Japan then?
Janet (02:46):
I have, we did a deal.
I was actually doing thechemical and biological
detection equipment group atthat time.
And, since General Dynamics hassold that to Chemring, right
here in Charlotte, NorthCarolina, where I lived and, we
did some deals to help them whenthey had that subway.
You might remember that attack along time ago.
(03:09):
So, we have some equipment thatcan help detect and heal.
And I think in this time ofCOVID, it's wonderful to know
that there is a technology basethat is looking for ways to
detect biological agents and cancertainly help them steer what
the plan of action is forcorrection and budget.
(03:29):
That's not me, I'm not theexpert.
I'm the humbled one that don't,I don't know what they're
talking about after the timethat in English.
Amanda (03:39):
That's amazing.
So, as we talked about earlier,we're both part of the John
Maxwell team and our friend, Mr.
John C.
Maxwell has had a huge impact onmy life.
And a lot of the listeners areright in the middle of trying to
be better leaders in theirworkplaces.
Is there anything you want toshare with our listeners about
your leadership journey thatmight help them out?
Janet (04:01):
Oh yes.
John Maxwell is amazing.
So, you can't go wrong with anyof his teachings.
His teachings are simple tounderstand and difficult to
apply when the pressure is on.
But leading ourselves, well, ofcourse is the biggest challenge.
We cannot lead others until welead ourselves well.
And last year, John, released abook, developing the leader
(04:22):
within you 2.0, the secondversion of that.
And I had a lot of fun helpingteams through that teaching
seasoned teams by going throughthe book and what we call
masterminding, and reallydigging in and seeing how we can
apply those lessons.
But it is essential unless yourlife is something other people
(04:44):
want to follow.
You won't be able to lead well.
Amanda (04:49):
That's true.
What do you feel like yourbiggest takeaway was from that
book?
Janet (04:54):
Purposeful priorities, kind of a re-branding of his
roles and responsibilitieschapter, but I kind of took off
on that and added it to myFranklin planner and did a
refresh on the purposefulpriorities and really looking at
my time unit as a whole.
(05:15):
It's not that time we manage,right?
It's our priorities that wemanage.
Amanda (05:20):
I've never heard that before.
So, what does he, how does heteach that?
What is it?
What's the approach?
Janet (05:25):
The chapter on developing the leader within you has to do
with assessing your roles andresponsibilities.
So, if you're a mom, if you're awife, if you're a career person
and looking at, you know, whatyou only you can do, and then
taking it to the next level,what do you need to remove from
(05:46):
your life?
What's not a priority that onlyyou can do?
What's something you might beable to delegate.
So, it's a really, just a goodintrospective look.
And then by adding it topurposeful priorities, I look at
it as, you know, what are mypassions?
What are the things in life thatI want my life to be made of?
And so, a long time ago, when Ipicked up a planner that looks
(06:08):
like I really want to understandthe globe.
I like global culture andlessons in that.
So, I made that a priority.
It was a lens from which I madethe decisions to go to places
like Israel and Japan, and dobusiness deals because I had
already set that as one of mylife priorities.
Amanda (06:25):
I love that Israel and Egypt.
Oh my gosh.
And Japan?
You've been all over.
Janet (06:31):
I went to Israel for sure.
Seven, six times, I guess.
But yet that's incredible.
And I believe it was from thepractice of saying, okay, you
know, what am I want my life tobe made of?
I want to understand differentcultures from their perspective.
So, yeah, it makes it easy.
So, you get that opportunity.
Like I had to go to Africa onSafari with eight women for 10
(06:56):
days, and it was through thatlens.
I've made it a priority.
Yes, I'm in.
Amanda (07:00):
So, do you also make priorities at work as well?
Does it teach how to do that aswell?
What is, what is something thathe teaches?
Janet (07:10):
Well, as far as priorities go as it relates to
the Dividend Factor, I alwaysprioritize my clients and their
priorities, and the timing.
And is there, is there anoverlap, so, do I need to bring
in extra help or is thissomething I better say no to?
And it's not uncommon for me todecline work, because I want to
(07:32):
make sure that everything we do,we have the bandwidth to do it
with excellence.
Amanda (07:37):
How do you think that this applies to people that are
kind of working in corporateAmerica, and asking for a raise
or feeling like they're up for apromotion that they're doing so
much?
How do they prioritize theirtime and kind of be more
purposeful?
Janet (07:53):
I've always seen it as creating a circle of excellence.
Even when I was doing jobs thatI felt weren't up to what my
potential was, but if I wentinto it thinking, well, if my
potential is so much greaterthen I can do this job with
excellence.
So, I took on moreresponsibilities even without
the pay or the title and createdthat circle of excellence.
Well, that's where you get yourreputation from, and it is also
where people decide if they wantto work with you or not.
So, not getting frustrated whenyou're not at the level that you
want to be, but keeping thevision that if I am worth more,
if I am, if I have higherpotential than this I can
certainly knock this out.
and show my skill set by goingabove and beyond, then you step
into the responsibilities thatdrive raises, that drive
promotions.
and people want to work withyou.
So, I can honestly say that theteam I work with at General
Dynamics, when I wentindependent, hired me back as a
consultant because of thatfoundation, that if I'm going to
work with them, I'm going togive them everything I got.
Amanda (09:03):
Right, and you had a great reputation with them, it
sounds like, and they love towork with you so well.
It sounds like it.
I think that whenever we'rethinking about raises, at least
for me, it was never reallyabout, whether or not people
like to work with me.
It was always about what I wasdoing, and how I was performing,
(09:25):
and what I was putting out this,not level of collaboration, but
this environment almost ofcollaboration seems like it's
absolutely necessary in orderfor, to get raises and
promotion.
What, what do you think?
Janet (09:41):
Yes, I think you've hit it on the head.
I think we can look at ourresponsibility and do that with
excellence, but if we're notbringing that energy and helping
to drive a culture of creativityand growth, then we're not
adding that value that we wantto get paid extra for.
Amanda (09:59):
Have you ever found yourself working in a toxic work
environment?
We have a lot of people that,they have insecure or bad
managers.
And I don't know.
I feel like they deserve araise, but they know that their
boss isn't going to give themlike a fair shake.
(10:19):
So, I'm not sure how?
You know, it sounds like youhave a good answer.
Janet (10:29):
I have been there and it's extremely frustrating.
It was not General Dynamics.
I actually left the company, andjust to grow and do some other
things.
And I did land myself into acouple of different situations
of the toxic environment, andbosses that were insecure and,
one in particular stands outbecause he was just angry and he
(10:54):
said, I'm going to turn up theheat and see what frogs jump
out, you know, that kinda thing.
Man, Oh, yes.
I just remember, I am spiritual.
Thank you.
I do have a relationship withGod.
And so, during that time, youreally do draw on that extra
strength that isn't within us,all of us, but as a person of
(11:17):
faith, as John would say, thathelped me to try to gain wisdom
and to shut my mouth.
Because my natural instinct, asyou can tell already, I like to
talk, I like to engage indialogue that might address this
negative behavior, but there arepeople, as Dr.
Henry Cloud teaches that arenarcissists.
(11:38):
There are people that are trulysick in the workplace.
And so, dealing with that kindof a toxic environment is very
dangerous.
But on a more benign level,there are managers that are just
insecure because they in overtheir heads and they're
inexperienced and they, theydon't want to be transparent.
They don't want to be vulnerablewith their team, which is
(12:00):
essential to being a greatleader.
But if you're in a situationwhere you've got an insecure
boss and you're doing well, andthey're afraid to look bad
because you might know more, youmight go further.
It's best to just be wise inthat case, watch your words
carefully.
I left an opportunity and I'vetold the guy specifically, you
(12:25):
don't understand my marketvalue.
And when it comes to raises, Ithink it's essential.
You can never ask for a raisebecause you need a raise because
you've made financial decisionsthat aren't healthy.
It's all about your marketvalue.
And every time I wasinterviewing or looking for a
job, I would just say, I want tobe paid commensurate with what
my market value is for thisposition.
(12:45):
And younger in my career, Iwould have been at the low end
of that.
And now I would expect to be atthe high end of that because of
the experience that I have.
And I do believe that experienceis essential in business, really
in life, but in business, inparticular, if you're looking at
asking for a raise it's basedupon experience that you have.
Amanda (13:06):
How do you think that people can improve their market
value?
I love that saying I've neverheard a phrase like that before.
Janet (13:15):
Thank you, well, today's easier than ever because of the
internet and all kinds ofstudies out there.
Certainly, LinkedIn is a placeto gauge, you know, looking at
common titles, looking at commonresponsibilities.
So, if I was to, well justrecently, somebody asked me
about business development andthe defense industry, and it's a
(13:37):
very unique mix.
Most people are either engineersor they're retired military
people and I'm neither of those.
So, again, I go back to, I dobelieve in God, I don't know how
I got here, but it is all aboutunderstanding what the mission
is.
And so, that's why when Istarted the Dividend Factor, I
wanted to leverage the capturemanagement training that I've
(13:59):
had because that's what theycall winning business in the
defense industry is calledcapture management.
And of course, becauseeverything tracks closely with
our military acronyms andculture and authority.
So, it's something where youreally got to like that kind of
structure.
(14:20):
And so, I would just say, youknow, research what's going on
online in an industry with thosetitles, with those words sets
and see, does that strike apassion in you?
Amanda (14:32):
I like that.
So, you are dealing withengineers, retired military, and
you said you're neither one ofthose types of personalities.
So, that sounds like a veryinteresting mix of personality
styles, is it?
Janet (14:49):
It certainly is.
And early on, I decided that myrole, whether it be called sales
back in the composites industry,I started in or marketing and
today business development, myjob is to communicate.
So, I'm not there to solve theproblem.
I need to be able to articulatethe problem.
So, for my company, I representthe customer, and to the
(15:12):
customer I represent the companyand my job is to make the most
efficient use of everybody'stime.
So, I will be matching the righttechnical people with the right
technical people when the timingis right.
So, it's just having thatability to listen, to know when,
what you don't know.
And the older I've gotten theeasier it's gotten for me to
(15:35):
know what I don't know and justbe there.
But, at first it was a littlemore difficult to say, I don't
know, but I'll find out, butthat truly is how I've ended up
doing these amazing projectsthrough the years that I've been
technically underwhelming to theteam, for sure.
Amanda (15:54):
But you have fantastic communication skills it sounds
like.
Janet (15:59):
Thank you, people skills, you know, you've really gotta be
able to relate to thoseintroverts that would rather
just look at a chart and talk toyou, but it's being able to just
appreciate everybody's gifts,and where they're operating
from, and try to pull ittogether.
Amanda (16:16):
How do you feel like you have grown in your, in your soft
skills?
It sounds like you are obviouslyvery articulate and communicate
well and you deal with differentpersonalities.
What is something that you havedone that has helped you improve
your communication?
Janet (16:32):
I read a lot.
I think that's essential pullingin from one what the author's
telling you, but two just thefunction of reading and I've
done electronic books andlistening, which is great too,
but I think it's essential to goahead and buy some hard copies,
and you know, really dig intothem, and you can learn so much
(16:53):
from other people's journeys.
And when I started way back whenI can tell you, there was a
company called Career Track, andwhat really got me on the growth
in my business career was buyingthose cassette tapes, dating
myself, and listening to them onthe way to work and just gaining
insights from those people.
(17:15):
One was called how to deal withdifficult people, another was
success self-programming, whereI learned how to talk to myself
differently.
Earl Nightingale's was on TheStrangest Secret, which was
really, we are what we thinkabout.
So, through those, I reallybegan the journey of
self-improvement by learningfrom other people.
(17:37):
And today it's no different withthe books I bought joining John
Maxwell's team, and just alwayslooking for that next best book.
And right now, the one I'mrecommending and while John's
books are all, and his latestone, Leader Shift, is very
appropriate to this time.
There's a simpler book out therecalled, The Life-Giving Leader
by Tyler Reagin who runscatalysts.
(18:00):
And I just love the thought ofbeing a life giving leader,
someone who gives hope to otherswho gives inspiration, who gives
a positive energy, cause we allgo to work and we can have the
energy zapped out of us by, youknow, what I call Eeyore, right,
the donkey.
So, yes, reading is essential inour, in our growth.
Amanda (18:23):
The Life Giving Leader, I love that.
And then there's life givingpeople, I think too, just to
kind of talk about that a littlebit more.
I think that you don't realizeit until you're around someone
that is just a life-givingperson and it's sometimes you
just are drawn to them.
Like, I feel very awesometalking to you right now.
Like I can tell that you're alife-giving person and it's
(18:45):
really an amazing thing.
Has that do you feel like you'vealways been that way or has it
been kind of a journey for you?
Janet (18:51):
Well, as a child, that energy was misplaced, but it was
always there.
It's like, fortunately God, youknow, took me down a different
road with my energy.
Amanda (19:09):
A lot of us have been there.
Janet (19:14):
So, yes, the energy is there.
It's now it's just pointed in abetter direction.
Amanda (19:17):
That's awesome.
So, we had a guest recently whotalked about skill sets.
He said that if I wanted to geta raise or promotion, should I
try to get really good at likemy current job, and just produce
like crazy, or invest timelearning the soft skills like
leadership and team buildingthat might be required for
(19:40):
management.
And this is kind of like alittle pivot from those soft
skills.
So, I'm interested to hear whatyou think.
Janet (19:48):
Well, I think our competency is what we bring.
So, it's a given that we've gotto be great at what we do.
So, if I go to do a marketassessment for a client in the
defense industry, then I betterget my butt to work reading
those DOD budget justificationdocuments that are not all to
read.
They're massive.
(20:08):
But they're the essential partof doing a DOD market study.
So, what I would say is yourcompetence is something you
should continue to refine.
As I've gotten older, I have notshied away from software
changes.
I've got sisters who, you know,just didn't bother, but you
know, fortunately by being withGD, in the beginning when
(20:30):
technology was taking off, theyalways equipped us with new
stuff.
So, I've had a little advantagethere to other folks my age, but
I mean, as technology changeseven faster for this generation,
it's essential that you are atthe top of your game,
absolutely.
Leadership, developing yourselfto the best of your potential as
it relates, not everybody's aleader.
(20:52):
Some people want to contributeby supporting a leader that they
respect, and in differentcapacities at different times,
you know, we shift.
So, yeah.
Be at the top of your game forsure.
Amanda (21:05):
Have you experienced a leader that you just really
wanted to be behind, and supportbefore in your career?
Janet (21:14):
Oh, absolutely.
There's been a few, that havementored me, and it's just
amazing when you've got a mentorwho's willing to invest in you.
One of my favorites early on,well, it was a challenge.
He was t he vice president a ndgeneral manager of one of the
fabrication divisions ofSpaulding, where I worked for a
(21:35):
long time, 17 years.
I left there, their vicepresident of sales and marketing
to move on to the defenseindustry.
Bob Shone was his name, greatguy, and he would have me write
out three solutions, one I l iketo talk, right?
So, I'd go talk to him aboutproblems.
And he's like, this has g ottastop, you go write out three
(21:55):
solutions, and work on yourwriting skills, and your
problem-solving skills.
And then w e'll talk about thepath forward.
So, that discipline stayed withme.
I would support him, you know,with whatever task or problems
we were facing in that businessunit.
Amanda (22:12):
Do you feel like it's because he gave you that type of
attention or what were thequalities that you loved the
most about him?
Janet (22:18):
He was smart and so he could see through a lot of
things that would hold othersup.
So, if it was a big problem, andit was, we decided to shut down
one of our factories, and that'shard.
Where you've got EPA issues,you've got people, obviously
issues.
You've got financial planning,helping people to find a new
(22:41):
path forward.
I think when you're facing thosebig decisions, it's essential
that you're putting the heartand mind of the people first.
And he had that.
And so, I appreciated the timehe invested in me, but he was
grooming me to take over moreresponsibility.
So, it's a win, win.
I take over more responsibility,he can do better at what he's
(23:04):
better at.
Amanda (23:05):
So, I need to clarify, is Spaulding, like the athletic
gear Spaulding?
I'm still stuck on it, or isSpaulding something else?
Janet (23:14):
Yeah, no, this Spaulding has a U in it.
It's near and dear to my heart,but I actually did pretend it
was the other Spaulding when Imet a basketball player on an
airplane from the Celtics, and Isaid, Oh, here's my Spaulding
card.
Would you give me an autograph?
He didn't have the U, either.
Amanda (23:32):
That's fantastic.
Did he give you an autograph?
Janet (23:37):
He did.
I think it was DJ, anyways.
We were up in the Boston areaand it's silly me.
I was sitting on the arm, Ididn't know, but he was tall,
and I was waiting for therestroom and I decided to sit on
the armchair of the empty seat.
And, since he towered over me, Ijust assumed, and my mom was a
huge Celtics fan so, I wanted toget the autograph.
Amanda (23:56):
Oh, that's so awesome.
I love that.
Okay.
So, my next question is, GeneralDynamics is a huge company, and
you probably went through a fewperformance reviews, and we
believe if you're afraid offormal assessments, you're going
to be hard pressed to identifyyour strengths, and your
(24:17):
weaknesses, and kind of managethose.
So, do you have any advice ifanybody is fearful of those
assessments, performancereviews?
Janet (24:28):
I think, you know before you get to a performance review.
Typically, if you're tracking ornot, if you're blindsided, then
it's, there's something amisswithin the company and you but,
I've had some great ones, likeeverything was perfect.
And then I had some where theguy was actually trying to get
rid of me, and it didn't matchup with where I felt my
(24:49):
performance was, and it was veryuncomfortable.
But, I think at the end of theday, if you do a self-assessment
error to the side of being kindto yourself, because if you're
cutting yourself down, don'texpect your boss to build you
up.
So, that's, from my standpointof having people set me up that
(25:10):
way, I had a guy that didn't dovery well for himself on his
self-assessment.
And I left everything the way itwas and he was shocked.
I didn't correct it, but Ireally wasn't at that place with
this performance.
So, it made it easy.
Amanda (25:23):
So, he thought that you would change it and like give
him higher a higher score?
Janet (25:29):
He did, and he was disappointed with me.
He said, I'm the first one thathasn't done that.
I said, well, first of all, Inever rate myself lower than
where I think I'm performing.
So, I don't have that lens, butthank you for sharing.
So, I just say, you know, knowyour strengths, know your
weaknesses.
And if you know that your bosshas a pet peeve, I would address
(25:50):
it is, you know what you'reworking on rather than just
leave it as a weakness.
It's like, this is how I'mgrowing in this area.
If that's your responsibility.
Amanda (25:59):
Did you do performance reviews?
Often?
I know that some companies willdo them once year some will do
them quarterly.
How does that typically, what,what is your experience with
things like that?
Janet (26:15):
My experience was annually.
That was enough as far as I'mconcerned.
Amanda (26:20):
I think a lot of people would say that, especially since
they're so formal.
I know that, some companies areactually moving to where there,
it's open dialogue, and they'reconstantly trying to collaborate
so that don't come up later andthat everybody's kind of pulling
in the same direction.
(26:40):
So, what are some other cluespeople should listen for in
conversations with theirmanagers that might signal the
company is open to giving them araise?
Janet (26:51):
Oh, compliments, for sure.
And especially when you'recoming in ahead of schedule,
money is time.
And so if we're doing things ina way that accelerates the path
forward, then that's a good cluethat you're adding the value to
the company that they would wantto invest it back into you.
Amanda (27:10):
Absolutely, typically we'll ask people to share some
of their war stories from,they're from raises.
It sounds like you might have afew.
So, they're always about maybesomething that happened to you
or to somebody that you know, asfar as a raise or promotion
goes, do you have anything thatyou would like to share with us?
(27:30):
Something that might'vehappened?
Janet (27:33):
Well, sure.
When I started my career, it wasat Spaulding, and I came in on
the really low side of thesalary, and companies are bound
even back then to a percentagewithin a given year for
employees.
And even when you get apromotion, there's somewhat of a
percentage tied to your pay.
So, I honestly, at some pointdecided that it was time to move
(27:58):
on, and while nothing negativereally happened, I felt like I
was kind of trapped in this,this do loop.
I've got responsibility, andthey've given me the most that
they feel they can pay me.
And so, I did start to look foranother job and I did get
another job.
I left on great terms.
All the works caught up with allthe friendships in place.
(28:20):
Again, it goes back torelationships and I went on and
took this new job and applied alot of the skill sets that I had
honed in, and was tracking well,but it was a longer commute.
And during a personal part of mylife, when I would have
preferred not to have that timespent in the car.
And they came back to me atSpaulding with an offer with a
(28:42):
promotion and a raise becausethey recognized that I could do
the job probably, you know, wasthe right one for that job.
And it was time to reassesswhere they had labeled me.
And that's the extreme, butthere are times for that kind of
a move.
And I didn't think they'd everhired me back.
I didn't go there with thisagenda.
Oh, you know, I'm going to leaveand they're going to want to
(29:03):
hire me back at a raise.
I went to pursue a new ventureand there were things about that
that made me feel like thisisn't necessarily a long-term
thing, but I can help these guysposition for this certain
market.
And when the opportunity came,where Spaulding wanted me back,
it was a no brainer for me.
And it was, win-win all around.
I'm still friends with bothcompanies.
Amanda (29:24):
That's fantastic.
It sounds like you've done somuch and super interesting
things too.
You've traveled all over theworld and you've worked with
amazing companies.
Is there anything else that youwant to add to kind of our
national conversation aboutraises?
Janet (29:40):
I would just say be patient, it's chess, not
checkers, not going to come,just because you woke up one
morning and found out somebodyelse is making more money than
you.
It's about your journey and yourvalue that you add to the
organization and how theyperceived it adds to either the
bottom line or if it's avolunteer organization or a
nonprofit, how you're helpingthe mission expand.
(30:03):
But really when we look back andwe kind of circle back to
priorities, I view everything Ido with equal importance, such
as my volunteer work atelevation church, I get to help
them with their leadershipdevelopment program for
volunteers.
I'll put as much time and effortinto preparation for that as I
will a paid mastermind with theJohn Maxwell team or leading my
(30:27):
defense business developmentefforts.
Amanda (30:31):
Nice.
So, I love that expand theirmission and then also to
continue to prioritize, like,not just at work, but prioritize
in your life as well.
You don't really think about itthat way.
I know that for me, sometimespeople would say that volunteer
work will come to the verybottom of the totem pole, but it
doesn't, I don't think that ithas to be that way, especially
(30:53):
if you're passionate about whatyou're doing.
Janet (30:57):
Exactly.
Yeah.
I served for years and years inkids' ministry.
I just love children.
They give me that energy and youknow, I just put as much into
the preparation of telling thema story or disciplining them,
whatever happened to be as Iwould my work, b ecause really
it's your life, it's your circleof excellence, whether it's a
(31:18):
volunteer or not.
Amanda (31:20):
Janet, it sounds like you have the most amazing
positive mindset.
How do you, I'm sure that youget into funks.
How do you get out of funks?
Because I know that some peopleare like, people are just so
positive all the time.
And I think that even thepositive people end up in like a
(31:40):
funky space.
So, I would love to hear how youkind of shift that?
Janet (31:45):
Yeah.
I love to walk.
So, my healthy funk removalwould be to take a walk and be
able to talk without a filter toa good friend about my funk.
The unhealthy response is wine.
Amanda (32:01):
I like wine, a lot of people like wine.
Janet (32:05):
So there's that, you know, there's the healthy
response and the not so healthy,but they both definitely make it
a little easier.
Amanda (32:16):
Okay.
So, tell us a little bit moreabout what you're up to now?
That's going to really make animpact on your industry or your
life in the next few years.
Janet (32:26):
My goodness, I have been blessed with three major defense
clients, actually two majordefense clients one's in
staffing, and the other is inhardware still with my General
Dynamics hardware shelters inspecific.
So, there's no conflict ofinterest.
That's very essential to myreputation, my long- term
relationships.
(32:46):
So, those two are just amazingwhere I can see what those big
companies are doing for ourmilitary, and how our military
is keeping our nation safe.
So, that's cool.
And then a couple years ago, awoman came to me who owns a
small armored vehicle businessin Mississippi called CITE, cash
(33:08):
in transit, CITE vehicles.
They do wonderful armoredvehicles and I've been working
with her on a long-term strategy, to get into the defense
industry.
And there's a lot to it andshe's wise woman and she's
taking her time and she said, no, I've got it.
I got the long- term.
We're really busy, short term.
(33:29):
So, I'm helping them.
And we've really landed on acouple of things where we're
getting them through cyber-security and we're getting them
through a secret facilityclearance.
These are all things essentialto operating in our defense
industry.
So, that's exciting to see itcome together.
And, with my team, we do, thereare defense companies that need
(33:50):
proposal managers.
I've got some that'll bring infor those.
I can run them as well, buttypically I don't have the time
to run them right now becausethey'll take you out for about
90 days and that's all you cando.
So, typically we'll bring insomebody on my team that do that
and we're happy to support.
Amanda (34:12):
That sounds so cool, and super interesting.
And like, you're just in yourwheelhouse with everything that
you're doing.
So, I'm really excited for you,that this is such a good spot,
it feels like.
Janet (34:27):
It's fun.
And it just topped it off when Ijoined John Maxwell in 2017.
So, that it's not what Janetsays.
It's easier to take it if I say,you know, John Maxwell teaches
this, here's a John Maxwell bookthat might help you out, you
know, and it just takes theburden off, you know, my
opinion.
Amanda (34:47):
John's a smart guy.
He's a smart guy.
Janet (34:50):
I really do.
I do some Maxwell lines here andthere, and that's just fun for
me.
And I've got the leadershipgame.
I've done that with members ofour church, and it's just a
wonderful tool.
So, yeah, I do have anopportunity to do that once in a
while.
Amanda (35:08):
That's fantastic.
So, where can people connectwith you?
Do you do leadership trainingall over or are you just in
Charlotte doing things likethat?
Janet (35:17):
I'm trying not to travel much right now, but I have been
traveling all along.
And so, I do travel to placesand we'll do resume that, in the
meanwhile Zoom is working, but Ihave a website, the Dividend
Factor.com, Dividend FactorLLC.com.
And I'm also on LinkedIn asJanet R Guertin, Facebook, Janet
(35:42):
Rutherford Guertin.
And we have a Dividend Factorpage.
And my disclaimer is this, mybusiness doesn't really like
social media.
Different defense is very, verydiscreet about what they're up
to.
And so, I don't post a lot inwhich a lot of people like about
me.
(36:03):
That's understandable.
So, I try to update my web pageabout once a quarter.
It's just not a lot of activity.
My personal Facebook page iswhere I'm most active.
And I can honestly say it'smostly sharing things that I
think are interesting.
Amanda (36:18):
That's awesome.
I'll make sure and link all ofthese things for people in the
show notes, as well as thebooks, The Life Giving Leader,
Leadershift, and Developing theLeader Within You 2.0, I
believe, is that right?
I wrote it down 2.0, so Janet,thank you so much for being on
the show.
I really appreciate it.
(36:38):
And I know that everybody'sgonna get a lot of value from
this conversation.
Janet (36:44):
Oh, Amanda.
Thanks for having me.
It was fun talking with youtoday.
Amanda (36:47):
It was fun.
Thank you.
Now, if you did find somevaluable tips in this podcast
today, please take a minute tosubscribe to the podcast because
it will only get better fromhere, and be sure to share it
and tell all of your friendsabout it on Facebook, and
Instagram, and all your socialmedia sites.
I would truly appreciate thesocial media love.
(37:08):
Thanks again for listening.
And I can't wait to connect withyou again.
Bye for now.
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