Nikhil G. - HR Professional

Six Steps to Creating an Ethical Culture

2013-04-28T05:14:00.001-07:00

Six Steps to Creating an Ethical Culture
by Agatha Gilmore

First there was the case of the Wal-Mart whistleblower who alleged that a senior executive was engaging in questionable financial practices. Then there was the Societe Generale scandal, in which a rogue trader lost the French Bank a whopping $7 billion in fraudulent transactions.

These incidents might seem extraordinary, but according to a study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), U.S. organizations alone lose 5 percent in annual revenue to fraud.

The solution is to create and enforce an ethical organizational culture, according to a new white paper from talent management solutions provider Allegiance.

According to Allegiance's research, organizations with strong ethical cultures report fewer cases of fraud, suffer less litigation and overall have happier and more engaged employees. They also cut their fraud-related losses in half, said Greg Heaps, COO and ethics specialist at Allegiance.

"Not only is having an ethical culture a good idea, but it's now practically a requirement," he said.

As a result of these findings, Allegiance devised a set of six steps talent managers can take to help create ethical cultures within their organizations.

1. Establish an enforceable code of conduct.
Talent managers should work to create an enterprise-wide code of ethicalconduct that describes appropriate behavior and acts as a proactive solution, rather than reaction to past missteps. It also should incorporate employee preferences and opinions because giving them a stake in development will ultimately make them more apt to adhere to it, Heaps said.

And like most HR programs, the code must not only be championed by but also clearly demonstrated by senior executives for employees to take it seriously.

"Employees have a hard time buying in if management isn't buying in," Heaps said.

2. Offer ongoing training.
"Training is not a one-time, one-shot deal," Heaps said. "The purpose is to help employees know what is expected of them and to help them understand that having a strong ethical culture can protect the company's reputation and ultimately can impact their bottom line."

Live workshops, online courses and printed materials all are helpful, and organizations also should provide annual training on specific issues, including proper use of company assets, discrimination, harassment, use of e-mail or use of the Internet. Talent managers should also custom-fit training to the needs of different departments, Heaps said.

3. Issue regular communications.
According to a 2007 report by the Ethics Resource Center, fewer than 40 percent of employees are aware of their companies' ethics and compliance programs.

"Programs exist, but organizations aren't doing a good job of communicating [that] fact," Heaps said.

Senior-level management must establish this line of communication that can take the form of broad announcements in the corporate newsletter or more personal discussions, either by department or individually.

4. Set up an anonymous reporting hotline.
According to the ACFE, an anonymous tip is the most likely way to reveal fraud, accounting for 34 percent of the cases uncovered. But employees must feel their anonymity is safe and secure for them to participate in a whistleblower policy.

"Employees can sometimes be met in the parking lot or somewhere else and physically abused by the perpetrator if their anonymity isn't maintained," Heaps said. This potential conflict may explain why 42 percent of employees who witness misconduct do not report it, according to the ERC survey.

Heaps recommends that employees have access to anonymous Web- and phone- based reporting tools and that talent managers also consider a third-party hotline provider, as employees often feel internal avenues are less secure.

The reporting tool should require whistleblowers to answer targeted background questions, as opposed to open-ended voice-mail or e-mail questions, and it also should have management capabilities that allow talent managers to track incidents.

5. Enforce and take action.
Imposing consequences for violation of the code of conduct will result in all employees - from the CEO to the frontline worker - taking it seriously. Heaps said that research done by ERC found that misconduct is cut by 75 percent and reporting is doubled at companies with strong and enforced ethical cultures.

6. Reward employees who demonstrate the culture.
"Like a manufacturing company that brags about its safety record with signs indicating how many days [it has gone] without an accident, companies should do the same and publicly congratulate employees that adhere to the code," Heaps said.

He added that some organizations might even share the "profits" - the amount of money saved by avoiding fraud - with whistleblowers.

"Employees prefer to work for an organization that has an established ethicalculture. They end up happier, they end up enjoying their jobs more - they're more engaged with the organization," Heaps said. "When you have that kind of environment and that kind of attitude with employees, it directly impacts your bottom line."

[About the Author: Agatha Gilmore is an associate editor for Talent Management magazine.]

Generate More Revenue By Making Training Everyone's Job

2013-04-28T04:38:00.001-07:00

Generate More Revenue By Making Training Everyone's Job
by Doug Kennedy

During the past few years of record profits many hotels and hotel companies have invested heavily in ramping up their in-house and corporate level training resources. Now that we are in a down market, one can easily see which organizations truly comprehend and believe in the value of ongoing training versus those who view it as window dressing.

As a vendor-partner to the hotel industry for training and development resources, it is interesting to see and exact names of hotels, hotel companies, and industry organizations are still investing in their team's personal development. From what I hear from my colleagues and competitors, it seems to be the top-tier companies across all organizations, market segments and locations that are still keeping hotel training companies like us plenty busy during what is one of the biggest downturns in industry history.

This is not just because these excellent, top-tier hotel companies think training is a nice thing to do; it's because visionary leaders realize the tangible ROI that training can achieve, if properly implemented, measured, and followed-up on.

Unfortunately though, from what I hear of the industry at large, way too many companies are instead blindly cutting back on training and development at every juncture across the board. Depending on the type of organization or company, this plays out as:

1. Hotel trainer positions that are left unfilled or eliminated.
2. Cut-backs in budgeted hours for recurrent training.
3. New-hires being scheduled to cover shifts before they have had proper one-on-one coaching with a supervisor.
4. Lack of access to new training multimedia resources such as DVDs; missed opportunities for managers and staff to attend webinars and to use eLearning tools.
5. Cutbacks in budgets for managers and leaders to attend management company or brand conferences and events.
6. Training components of conferences and events being reduced; or annual educational and training conferences that are being cut out altogether.
7. Reduction in the quality of the educational experiences being offered at annual conferences for associations, brands, and other trade groups.

It's understandable that when facing drastic, unexpected declines in revenue that some cuts absolutely have to be made and it is never pleasant nor easy to decide what to cutback. Certainly in markets such as what most hotels are currently seeing, even the training budgets need to be pared back. But this is not the time to have an "abandon ship" paradigm that views all investments in training as an "extra" that needs to be cast overboard to stay afloat.

Instead, it is precisely in times like these we must remember training is the responsibility of every manager, every supervisor, and every leader; every month, every day, every shift. Certainly the ideal situations is to have a designated training manager or director to inspire, organize, and lead the training and development effort throughout your organization. Interestingly, the top-tier companies that use the most outside training resources seem to also have at least a full or part time trainer in place. A few I know have even added training positions even during downturns; others have found a way to sustain these positions at all costs, even if having these staffers work temporarily in other departments during slower monthly accounting periods.

Yet even companies that do have designated training manager or director to lead the charge still understand: training is a process not just a title, position, or job description. Instead, they view training is a core best practice necessary to sustain the ongoing journey to excellence, versus a program to complete, a workshop we have to attend, or a certification we must to achieve. The best training managers know this well and see themselves as a center-point nexus directory and resource.

Whether you are a hotel trainer by title, or a department head, assistant manager, or shift supervisor, here are some ideas to make training happen every week, every day, every shift:

1. When forecasting temporary dips in business activity, schedule formalized, workshop style training during down-times.

2. Even during periods of peak activity, there always seems to be dips in the "cycle of service" during which staff have predictable periods of down-time. This is a great chance to schedule some on-the-job training.

3. Sometimes business levels drop unexpectedly; during these times it is not always possible to cut hours by sending staff home early. If so, conduct impromptu "grab and go" training meetings.

4. Conduct individualized coaching with frontline associates directly in their workplace between transactions during actual shifts.

5. Reinforce what was done well; focus on what could have been done more effectively.

6. Distribute copies of article reprints from publications such as this for discussion/review at meetings.

7. Checkout cost-effective multi-media (DVD's and videos) from resources such the Educational Institute or the Sunrise Basic Training series.

8. Reinforce training themes with workplace displays that can be made fun with simple word processing programs.

9. Find ways to cut costs but to still attend industry conferences or events; book early to reduce registration fees. The biggest cost historically is usually airfare and travel costs, which can be secured at value rates if you plan ahead to send your leaders to such events.

10. If you are a hotel company or association, this is a terrific opportunity to show value to your stakeholders by finding a way to still offer quality educational and training events at future meetings.

By making revenue-generating training part of the realm of responsibility of every manager and leader, you can ensure your frontline staff is capitalizing on every opportunity to capture sales, reduce unnecessary costs, and ultimately maximize profits during this industry downturn. The best part is that when the recovery starts, your well-trained team will be ready to optimize profits when demand begins to soar once again.

[About the Author: Douglas Kennedy is the founder and President of the Kennedy Training Network. Doug has been a fixture on the hospitality and tourism industry conference circuit since 1989, having presented over 1,000 conference keynote sessions, educations break-out seminars, or customized, on-premise training workshops during in the past 17 years.]

Use Tuition Assistance to Aid Development

2013-04-28T04:37:00.001-07:00

Use Tuition Assistance to Aid Development
by Lila McCain

As tuition costs continue to rise and personal student debt follows more employees into the workforce, providing staff with tuition assistance options can increase employee engagement and foster career development.

The Educational Testing Service has decreased its 2009 projection for number of applications for the GRE, which is required for most graduate school programs, from 675,000 to 621,000, indicating today's economy is impacting enrollment. Tuition assistance programs allow talent managers to provide a timely and attractive benefit to individuals and also invest in employees.

In addition to tuition reimbursement benefits, some companies take their assistance programs a step further by offering student loan repayment options. These options can help employees pay down existing debt and encourage enrollment in additional education opportunities.

The Workforce Challenge

While the economic downturn has altered the employment environment, by offering tuition assistance and other tools such as student loan repayment, employers have the potential to retain talent interested in higher education, career development and cross-departmental growth within their organizations.

The average tuition and fees at both public and private institutions rose almost 6 percent in 2008. Given these economic hikes, deciding to pursue further education after entering the workforce can be heavily influenced by company benefits that can reduce the costs. Recent grads are entering the workforce with a greater debt burden: Loans made through the Federal Family Education LoanProgram increased 8 percent during 2007-2008.

Further, entry-level employees are facing a stringent salary environment. According to management consulting firm Hewitt Associates, companies are reducing salary increases in 2009 due to economic concerns, making the decision to go back to school more financially difficult while pursuing a career.

"Due to the current state of the economy, companies now have to make cuts to a number of budgets," said Lauren Rolfe, vice president of human resources at American Student Assistance (ASA). "In 2009 we made it a priority to keep our tuition reimbursement and loan repayment programs fully intact and will continue to offer the same level of assistance as in year's past, and will offer even greater flexibility to how the program can be leveraged by employees."

Tuition Reimbursement Benefit Strategy

There are various levels and approaches to tuition reimbursement. ASA, which has helped finance higher education for the past 50 years, offers the IRS maximum amount of $5,250 per calendar year as a nontaxable benefit, with no limit on the number of courses an employee can take. While nonprofit companies such as ASA do not qualify, for-profit companies may receive a tax benefit for offering tuition reimbursement.

More progressive programs provide compensation for actual degree or certificatecourses, but also for books and other tools students require once enrolled.

At ASA, test-preparation courses and fees also qualify for reimbursement. Most graduate programs require standardized testing, such as the GMAT or GRE, prior to application. Allowing employees the opportunity to apply their tuition assistance to the preparation process provides a broader spectrum of ways for a company to enable higher education in the workplace.

Companies also have the option to offer a nonrestrictive reimbursement programthat allows employees to pursue any type of degree within approved organizational parameters. Especially in organizations that have various divisions and career tracks, not limiting degree selection can encourage employees to grow their career interests and pursue lateral or upward career choices in-house.

Along these same lines, companies also can opt not to restrict tuition reimbursement, either by the letter grade received in the degree or certificateprogram, or if an individual is pursuing an unfamiliar discipline.

"Our philosophy is that a learning mind is a productive mind," Rolfe said. "Our employees are enrolled in programs such as culinary arts and paralegal courses that fall outside their career descriptions. However, what this does is cultivate a motivated, engaged employee base that is able to pursue whole-life interests, which in the end leads to a productive workforce."

Student Loan Repayment Strategy

Since 2000, ASA has provided funds to help employees repay federal education loans currently in repayment status - up to $2,400 per calendar year.

Employees are eligible after six months of service. Part-time employees are eligible on a prorated basis. However, because this benefit does not qualify under IRS regulations the same as tuition reimbursement benefits do, the employee still is required to pay taxes on their student loan repayment benefits.

According to a 2008 internal analysis conducted by ASA, offering tuition reimbursement promotes participation in higher education while serving as a full-time employee in the workforce. Between 2003 and 2007, enrollment in ASA's tuition reimbursement program grew at the same rate as the total population of the company.

ASA HR managers also determined that allowing employees to self-select degreeprograms of their choice promoted interdepartmental movement, empowered and satisfied employees.

These programs have helped position ASA's culture as that of a learning organization, evidenced by employee satisfaction surveys categorizing them as an employer of choice. Also attributed to employee satisfaction surveys is ASA's 2008 recognition as the Boston Globe's Top Places to Work in Massachusetts.

A tuition assistance program can be an integral piece to an organization's well-rounded internal talent strategy. At ASA, it has been integrated into talent management to develop what the organization calls "whole leaders" at all levels of the workforce. To maintain this people strategy in a rapidly growing organization, ASA management promotes training and development that will position employees to manage and lead the organization into the future.

Companies can measure program success by tracking employee enrollment and demographic data that can help to establish career tracks within the organization. Specifically, employee's current careers, part-time education decisions and learned expertise can allow talent managers to better match individuals to appropriate projects, promoting overall efficiency across company divisions and the employee base.

"By administering internal surveys to track participation in our tuition reimbursement program over the past five years, we have created the opportunity to leverage employee skill sets in the future," Rolfe said. "Particularly within a project-based work environment, we hope to build out an infrastructure for managers to track individual career paths, and also best pair employees with work they are interested in and for which they are most qualified."

Jason Burke, a client manager at ASA, was hired in 2004. The company's tuition reimbursement allowed him to pursue a master's degree program at Emerson College, even though it did not directly relate to his position. In December 2008, Burke completed his final class and received a master's in media arts.

"While my program wasn't directly related to my job, I find myself using the skills I've learned from grad school - skills like project management, teamwork and data analysis - at ASA on a daily basis," Burke said. "Grad school has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my professional life."

Tuition and loan assistance programs can be a powerful addition to workforce development and benefits. They provide employees with compensation for tuition. They can allow flexibility in the number of classes in which employees can enroll, the types of classes employees can enroll in, and can reduce existing higher education debt.

Ultimately, tuition assistance allows companies to cultivate an improved employee base. These types of benefit programs, promote better career pathing, particularly in project-based work environments.

Putting forth the effort to preserve tuition assistance programs helps keep employee morale intact and supports employees interested in growth within their current workplaces. This creates a situation in which both the employee and the organization win.

[About the Author: Lila McCain is director of HR for American Student Assistance.]

Some inspirational Sanskrit verses

2013-04-21T09:25:00.001-07:00

Worth printing out.

source: http://hitxp.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/great-sanskrit-hymns/

Here are some great sanskrit hymns from ancient Indian texts..

Nahi Jnanena Sadrsham
Nothing is equivalent to knowledge

Vasudaiva Kutumbakam
The whole earth is a family

Satyameva Jayate
Truth always triumphs

Dharmo Rakshathi Rakshithaha
He who carries out his duties shall be protected

Sarvejana Sukhinobhavanthu
May all the people in this universe live with happiness and prosperity

Janma Jaata Shudra Sarve
Karmenu Brahman Bhavati
All humans are inferior (Shudra) by birth and they become superior
(Brahmins) only by their good deeds later in their life.

Asatho Ma Sathgamaya,
Thamaso Ma Jyothirgamaya
Mruthyorma Amrthangamya
Lead me towards truth from untruth
Lead me towards light from darkness
Lead me towards immortality from Death

Yatra Naaryasthu poojyanthe
Ramanethe thatra devathaha
Where women are treated with dignity and Womanhood is worshipped,
there Roam the GODS

Ekam Sat Vipraha bahudha vadanti
There is but one God, learned scholars call this God by different names

Isha vasya midam sarvam
The entire universe is pervaded by God

Sarve amritasya putrah
We are all the children of God

Ati Vinayam Dhoortha Lakshanam
Too much of humbleness is an attribute of a wicked person

Aham Brahmasmi
I am God (indicating God lives inside humans)

Lobhaha Papasya Karanam
Greed is the root cause of sin

Matru Devo Bhava Pitru Devo Bhava
Acharya Devo Bhava Athithi Devo Bhava
Treat your Mother, Father, Teacher and Guest like a God

Satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam
priyam cha nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah
Only speak the truth that is pleasant to others
Do no speak the truth that might be unpleasant to others
Never speak untruth that is pleasant to others
This is the path of the eternal morality called Sanatana Dharma

Annam na nindhyath
Annam na pari-chaksheeta
Annam bahu kurveeta
Do not abuse food
Do not discard food
Grow food in abundance!

shubham karoti kalyaaNam aarogyam dhanasampadaa
shatrubuddhi vinaashaaya deepajyoti namostute
I salute the light from the lamp, the one that brings auspiciousness,
prosperity, good health, abundance of wealth, and the destruction of
the intellect’s enemy!
(said while lighting the evening lamp)

Kaalaaya Tasmai Namaha
Salutations to that great entity called TIME

Satyam Vadha Dharmam Chara
Speak the truth, follow the righteous path

Aa no bhadrah kratavo yantu vishwatah
May auspicious thoughts come to us from all over the world.

Mata Bhumih putro ham prithvyah
Earth is our mother and we are its children.

Organizational Culture !!

2013-03-24T04:42:00.002-07:00

Organizational Culture by Carter McNamara

What is Culture?

Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors. Members of an organization soon come to sense the particular culture of an organization. Culture is one of those terms that's difficult to express distinctly, but everyone knows it when they sense it. For example, the culture of a large, for-profit corporation is quite different than that of a hospital which is quite different that that of a university. You can tell the culture of an organization by looking at the arrangement of furniture, what they brag about, what members wear, etc. -- similar to what you can use to get a feeling about someone's personality.

Corporate culture can be looked at as a system. Inputs include feedback from, e.g., society, professions, laws, stories, heroes, values on competition or service, etc. The process is based on our assumptions, values and norms, e.g., our values on money, time, facilities, space and people. Outputs or effects of our culture are, e.g., organizational behaviors, technologies, strategies, image, products, services, appearance, etc.

The concept of culture is particularly important when attempting to manage organization-wide change. Practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture as well.

There's been a great deal of literature generated over the past decade about the concept of organizational culture -- particularly in regard to learning how to change organizational culture. Organizational change efforts are rumored to fail the vast majority of the time. Usually, this failure is credited to lack of understanding about the strong role of culture and the role it plays in organizations. That's one of the reasons that many strategic planners now place as much emphasis on identifying strategic values as they do mission and vision.

Some Types of Culture

There are different types of culture just like there are different types of personality. Researcher Jeffrey Sonnenfeld identified the following four types of cultures.

Academy Culture

Employees are highly skilled and tend to stay in the organization, while working their way up the ranks. The organization provides a stable environment in which employees can development and exercise their skills. Examples are universities, hospitals, large corporations, etc.

Baseball Team Culture

Employees are "free agents" who have highly prized skills. They are in high demand and can rather easily get jobs elsewhere. This type of culture exists in fast-paced, high-risk organizations, such as investment banking, advertising, etc.

Club Culture

The most important requirement for employees in this culture is to fit into the group. Usually employees start at the bottom and stay with the organization. The organization promotes from within and highly values seniority. Examples are the military, some law firms, etc.

Fortress Culture

Employees don't know if they'll be laid off or not. These organizations often undergo massive reorganization. There are many opportunities for those with timely, specialized skills. Examples are savings and loans, large car companies, etc.

Q&A: How Do We Begin to Inventory Our Employees' Skills?

2013-03-24T04:12:00.001-07:00

How Do We Begin to Inventory Our Employees' Skills?
	My CEO wants me to prepare a report that gives an inventory of our employees' skills. The issue is important as this report will be submitted together with a succession-plan project for the company. With such a huge undertaking, where should I begin?—Planning for the Future, human capital officer, construction, Lagos, Nigeria

	Depending on the industry, job and/or technical discipline, there are literally thousands of skills, and evaluating all of them could be an endless task. So it is important to narrow down the project by zooming in on the skills most desired by your CEO, and understanding how this information will be used. Considering you mention succession planning, I suspect the list is narrower rather than broader. If your CEO could pick 10 to 15 of the most important skills or skill areas, what would they be? Are they the same ones you use to assess employee performance reviews and individual development plans? Is this an inventory for the purpose of knowing that they can do something, or how well they have been doing it? It's worth a follow-up question or two to clarify the actual need and avoid wasted effort. The next question: Is this skill inventory a do-it-yourself project, or is it something that can be delegated to others? Depending on the total number of people being evaluated, it seems that a divide-and-conquer approach to the task would work best. Create a simple form, pre-filled out with each employee's name, the generic list of 10 to 15 skills being sought by your CEO, and a place to either check off the skill (yes they have it, no they don't), or provide a rating (such as 1 for rudimentary, 2 for intermediate and 3 for advanced, depending on how your CEO answered the questions above). Set a deadline and create a review process to make sure the inventories are done consistently. Finally, if this is an "all-skill" inventory, meaning you want to know all of the relevant skills everyone has, the process is largely the same. You still will need to find out the most important and relevant skills your CEO expects employees to possess, but this list will be longer. You may need to build or buy a generic "skill list" and narrow it down from there, but it's critical to get guidance from your CEO. I've been through large all-skill inventories, and while the information is interesting, it tends not to be used thereafter, unless the skill lists being collected are relevant to the work at hand and where the organization is headed. [SOURCE: David Peck, Leadership Unleashed, San Francisco, August 29, 2006]

Q&A: How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?

2013-03-24T04:05:00.001-07:00

How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?
	We are implementing a career-management framework to groom future leaders. What methodologies or best practices provide a clear road map?—Not Sure Where to Go, skills coach, finance/insurance/real estate, Sydney, Australia

	Basing a career-management framework on proven methods is indeed effective. However, consider some key questions before delving into specific practices. What is the ultimate objective for implementing your new system? Do you want to deepen your leadership "bench strength" and develop emerging leaders? Are you aligning organizational roles and competencies with strategic business objectives? What are your future workforce demands ( i.e., critical employee roles and competencies)? What external factors (i.e., market conditions) might affect talent availability or a shift in your business objectives? The answers will help you create a customized strategic workforce plan based on both current and future business requirements. Implemented effectively, your planning will match job roles, competencies, HR systems and business objectives, as well as define leadership behaviors and robust succession management. Here is how you create a successful framework: Involve top leaders and gain their commitment to growing talent, model the behaviors considered instrumental to the organization, and encourage others to do likewise. Link business strategy to talent requirements so your organization can execute on its three- to five-year business plan. Identify talent gaps and address them, such as development opportunities and recruiting needs. This is an opportunity to connect with employees and managers and gauge their views on critical talent gaps and development needs. Depending on the size of your organization, it can be done through on-the-job observation, informal interviews, employee surveys, and/or focus groups. Use a variety of developmental activities including mentoring, coaching, job rotation, traditional educational programs and formalized feedback processes. Don't be afraid to try new approaches to development, including 360-feedback, special assignments, action learning and Web-based educational activities. Create enterprise-wide, formal employee development plans that dovetail with your performance management cycles. Formally identify and track high-potential employees' performance through partnerships with executives and managers. Form a structured, ongoing process of objective assessment and focused development, including direct feedback. Ensure that tools, development activities and HR systems are integrated with and support core and leadership competencies. Although this is not an exhaustive list of key best practices, following these suggestions will assist you in creating a framework of tools and systems that engender a sense of engagement and collaboration with every employee. [SOURCE: Tameka B. Moss, Capital H Group, Waltham, Massachusetts, September 12, 2006.]

Work-Life Balance by Jim Bird

2013-03-24T03:54:00.002-07:00

Work-Life Balance by Jim Bird

Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

However, at the core of an effective work-life balance definition are two key everyday concepts that are relevant to each of us. They are daily

Achievement and Enjoyment, ideas almost deceptive in their simplicity.

Engraining a fuller meaning of these two concepts takes us most of the way to defining a positive Work-Life Balance. Achievement and Enjoyment answer the big question "Why?" Why do you want a better income…a new house…the kids through college…to do a good job today…to come to work at all?

Most of us already have a good grasp on the meaning of Achievement. But let's explore the concept of Enjoyment a little more. As part of a relevant Work-Life Balance definition, enjoyment does not just mean "Ha-Ha" happiness. It means Pride, Satisfaction, Happiness, Celebration, Love, A Sense of Well Being …all the Joys of Living.

Achievement and Enjoyment are the front and back of the coin of value in life. You can't have one without the other, no more than you can have a coin with only one side. Trying to live a one sided life is why so many "Successful" people are not happy, or not nearly as happy as they should be.

You cannot get the full value from life without BOTH Achievement and Enjoyment. Focusing on Achievement and Enjoyment every day in life helps you avoid the "As Soon As Trap", the life dulling habit of planning on getting around to the joys of life and accomplishment "as soon as…."

Some philosophical guy bumps into me, and says…. "Heh mister… what's your purpose in life?" Well even in that half-awake condition, I'd have an answer for him. I'd say, "You know, I just want to achieve something today and I want to enjoy something today. And if I do both of those things today, I'm going to have a pretty good day. And if I do both of those things every day, for the rest of my life… I'm going to have a pretty good life."

And I think that's true for all of us. Life will deliver the value and balance we desire …when we are achieving and enjoying something every single day…in all the important areas that make up our lives. As a result, a good working definition of Work-Life Balance is:

Meaningful daily Achievement and Enjoyment in each of my four life quadrants: Work, Family, Friends and Self.

Ask yourself now, when was the last time you Achieved AND Enjoyed something at work? What about Achieved AND Enjoyed with your family; your friends? And how recently have you Achieved AND Enjoyed something just for you?

Why not take 20 minutes on the way home from work and do something just for yourself? And when you get home, before you walk in the door, think about whether you want to focus on achieving or enjoying at home tonight. Then act accordingly when you do walk in the door.

At work you can create your own best Work-Life Balance by making sure you not only Achieve, but also reflect the joy of the job, and the joy of life, every day. If nobody pats you on the back today, pat yourself on the back. And help others to do the same.

When you do, when you are a person that not only gets things done, but also enjoys the doing, it attracts people to you. They want you on their team and they want to be on your team.

Simple concepts. And once you focus on them as key components of your day, they are not that hard to implement. So, make it happen, for yourself, your family and all the important individuals you care about…every day for the rest of your life… Achieve and Enjoy.

The Folded Napkins - A Truckers Story

2013-03-24T03:53:00.001-07:00

The Folded Napkin - A Trucker Stop Story

"I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie.

He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.

The ones who concerned me were the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded 'truck stop germ'; the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks...

I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.

After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and peppershaker was exactly in its place, not a breadcrumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table.

Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag.

If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine.

Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news.

Bell Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table.

Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Bell Ringer a withering look.

He grinned. 'OK, Frannie , what was that all about?' he asked..

'We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay.'

'I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?'

Frannie quickly told Bell Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery then sighed: 'Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK,' she said. 'But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is.' Bell Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.

After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.

'What's up?' I asked.

'I didn't get that table where Bell Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off,' she said. 'This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup.'

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed 'Something For Stevie'.

'Pony Pete asked me what that was all about,' she said, 'so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this.'

She handed me another paper napkin that had 'Something For Stevie' scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: 'Truckers!!'

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work.

His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called ten times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy.

I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.

Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting

'Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast,' I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. 'Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!'
I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room.

I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins 'First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess,' I said. I tried to sound stern.

Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had 'Something for Stevie' printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.

Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother. 'There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers andtrucking companies that heard about your problems. 'Happy Thanksgiving.'

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well.

But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table....
Best worker I ever hired."

Plant a seed and watch it grow....

THE 7 LEVELS OF CHANGE

2013-03-24T03:15:00.000-07:00

THE 7 LEVELS OF CHANGE
A STRATEGY FOR CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 1:	Effectiveness	DOING the right things
LEVEL 2:	Efficiency	DOING things right
LEVEL 3:	Improving	DOING things better
LEVEL 4:	Cutting	Stopping DOING things
LEVEL 5:	Copying	DOING things other people are doing
LEVEL 6:	Different	DOING things no one else is doing
LEVEL 7:	Impossible	DOING things that can't be done

Each level is progressively more complex, more difficult to undertake that the preceding level. Consider the 7 Levels of Change in the context of moving into a new job or a new business activity to which you have not before been exposed.

LEVEL 1: EFFECTIVENESS - DOING THE RIGHT THINGS. The easiest change to make is to learn the basics - what are the right things to do and how to immediately change enough to become effective in a new job. The Pareto Principle states that 20% of the things being done actually yield 80% of the total payoff. To maximize effectiveness, energy must be shifted to and focused on doing that 20% (the right things).

LEVEL 2: EFFICIENCY - DOING THINGS RIGHT. Level 2 changes requires a thorough understanding of all the aspects of the new job or business activity in order to identify and then focus on doing very well those things which have the most important impact and make the largest contribution. Level 2 changes are based largely on personally adjusting to new standards and procedures, and involve coaching or explanations by others familiar with the job or business activity.

LEVEL 3: IMPROVING - DOING THINGS BETTER. Change at this level involves thinking about ways to improve or fine-tune -- ways to speed things up, shorten delivery time, increase functionality, reduce downtime. Level 3 change makes something more effective, more efficient, more productive, andmore value-adding - frequently with customer input.

LEVEL 4: CUTTING - DOING AWAY WITH THINGS. This level of change involves analysis of core functions and applies the Pareto Principle to focus on stopping doing things - cutting out the 80% of things that only yield 20% of the value. In the simplest case, change at Level 4 focuses on eliminatingwaste. If this can be done systemically while keeping all organizational interrelationships and subsystems in perspective, major company-wide results can be achieved.

LEVEL 5: COPYING - DOING THINGS OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING. Level 5 marks the transition from incremental to fundamental change. Copying,learning from, and "reverse engineering" can dramatically boost innovation at significantly lower costs than starting from scratch. Benchmarking how other organizations are doing things and then enhancing upon their processes is the hallmark of the successful innovator.

LEVEL 6: DIFFERENT - DOING THINGS NO ONE ELSE IS DOING. Change at Level 6 is about either doing something very different or doing somethingvery differently - and transitions into degrees of novelty which not only move an organization "out-of-the-box", they move the organization into areas where nobody else is doing it. Level 6 is a shift into 3-Sigma thinking. Such trailblazing and greater degrees of risk-taking can bring about genuinely new things, often by synthesizing seemingly unconnected concepts and technologies - or by totally shifting perspective around the possible uses of a product.

LEVEL 7: IMPOSSIBLE - DOING THINGS THAT CAN'T BE DONE. "What is todayimpossible, but if it were possible it would fundamentally change the way you do business?" Joel Barker's famous question reframes thinking extremely well for Level 7. Market constraints, resource limitations, or company culture are too often seen as insurmountable barriers. As a result, discoveries at Level 7 frequently build on major mindshifts connected with exploratory thrusts into the unknown - bold, significant and long-term visions and change so different that it cannot be compared to anything else known at the time.

Any change requires time, resources and personal energy. The higher the level of change, the more time, resources and personal energy the change will require in implementation. Further, it is not a straight-line relationship across the 7 levels; it is geometric and explodes in terms of difficulty as the change level increases.

Source: www.thinking-expedition.com

Promotion Know-How for Women

2013-03-23T11:32:00.001-07:00

Promotion Know-How for Womenby Francesca Di Meglio

There's good and bad news for women hoping to break through the glass ceiling. The bad news is that women are more than twice as likely to be underrepresented as overrepresented in company succession plans, according to a recent Internet survey of 3,100 human resources executives by Novations Group, a consulting and training organization in Boston. The good news is that women -- with smarts, courage and sound advice -- can change that by getting promoted and rising to the top.

Here are some tips from experts and, in some cases, women who have already arrived at the corner office:

Make Yourself Valuable

Your boss will do whatever it takes to keep you on board if you make her look good by producing work fast and well. By finishing grunt work, identifying and solving problems, and improving or creating services and products, you will have an advantage over the competition, says Bruce Tulgan, founder of RainmakerThinking, a Connecticut-based consultancy group.

"Every single skill you get under your belt, every single relationship you build with a decision maker who knows you're valuable, every single ounce of strength you add to your brain, body and spirit become cards in your hand," says Tulgan. "Those are chips in your pile that you can use to trade for rewards in your career."

You can make yourself valuable in tangible ways, such as learning a relevant foreign language, picking up technical skills or producing top-notch research. Possessing soft skills -- ranging from the capacity to learn quickly to the ability to communicate -- doesn't hurt either. Instead of networking in the traditional sense, use the skills you have to make yourself valuable to someone with whom you'd like to build a relationship, and then maybe she will be more willing to help you in the future, says Tulgan.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

One of the main differences between men and women is that men tend to speak up about their career goals, and women think their performance will speak for itself. Ladies, you're wrong!

"The one who usually gets the promotion is the one who wants it most and asks for it," says Lee E. Miller, managing director of NegotiationPlus.com, an educational group in Morristown, New Jersey, that teaches negotiation strategy to leaders.

Miller suggests asking your boss what you need to do to qualify for your dream job. Then put those suggestions into action. If you've performed well on those tasks and your boss is satisfied, consider asking outright for a promotion. If you can, make sure your boss is in the right mindset before initiating the conversation, adds Miller.

Be a Risk Taker

Many of the women who have had the most success took nontraditional paths to the top. Laura Mete Frizzell started her career in insurance and then moved into advertising where she landed gigs that had her trying to understand how the Internet would impact the industry. In the mid-1990s, she found herself developing the online media department for Deutsch Advertising in New York. Today, she's an MBA and vice president of media services at 360i in Atlanta. She credits her success to her willingness to shift careers and be a pioneer in a field no one understood.

You can do the same by following opportunities, not being rigid when considering your next move and taking chances. Have a great idea about a role you could fill for your company? Research it, write a proposal and present it to your boss. The company might be game. If nothing else, your superiors will notice your willingness to take initiative and make a statement. As a result, they might remember you the next time they're giving out bonuses or promoting people.

Laugh at Yourself

Having a sense of humor and refraining from taking yourself too seriously is an important part of succeeding in the workforce, says Sara Blakely, CEO and founder of Spanx, the innovative lingerie company based in Atlanta. "Laughing attracts people and will help get you promoted."

You'll have an easier time getting ahead if you're a pleasure to work with. "If you have a reputation for being difficult, rude, unethical or unreasonably demanding, then you will inevitably be passed for someone who creates less friction on a team," says Jennifer Kwee, product marketing manager at Motorola in Libertyville, Illinois.

Being likable requires you to be happy. Feeling satisfied and fulfilled means finding balance between your personal life and work as much as possible. Getting burned out won't help you get promoted. In fact, it just might hurt your chances of moving forward.

Find Passion

Enjoying your work is a great motivator. "You can't sleepwalk through your job," says Carol Kuc, president of the National Association of Women Business Owners. "If you have passion, you'll give your work full attention, and you'll find success."

For more than 10.5 million women, finding a labor of love meant starting their own business. But finding your passion also can translate into acting entrepreneurially at your existing company. Present new ideas, take ownership of projects and increase your responsibilities. Sooner or later, that kind of devotion will lead to a promotion -- maybe even two or three.

Get a Life by Clearing the Clutter !!

2013-03-23T11:17:00.003-07:00

Get a Life by Clearing the Clutter !! by Dianna Booher

The way you approach your in-box, workspace, and workload has as much to do with how much you get done in a day as does the number and size of your projects. Follow these steps to define and then streamline work habits, patterns, and methods. You'll have more time and energy to complete what's most important.

Build White Space into Your Calendar
To schedule your work most effectively, do not schedule enough tasks to consume every working and waking moment. Plan to about 80 percent capacity when you're going to be in the office and about 50 percent capacity just after returning from a trip. That means for a 50-hour work week, schedule about 40 hours of work, knowing that another 10 hours of "stuff" will appear unexpectedly.

Avoid Work-and-Wait Patterns
Waiting for approvals, opinions, information, equipment, or resources is a major time waster. Here are some tactics than can minimize, if not prevent, slow-downs:

Get other people's "buy in" on the due dates before you schedule tasks.
Offer to help people do the work or collect the information you need.
Let people know they don't have to have the information "in formal/final form."
Escalate the problem to your supervisor to negotiate the information at a higher level.
Remind everyone involved that you need the information as soon as it's available.

Be Wary of High-Tech, Time-Saving Devices
High-tech may mean high-time. Before buying any "time-saving" gadget, consider the hidden investment of time in its use: time to select and purchase the appropriate item, time to learn how to operate it, time to set it up and secure it, time to refurbish or repair it, time to insure it and replace it. It's important to recognize that low-tech items like the pencil, ruler, rubber band, stapler, and broom can be real time-savers themselves.

Clutter Your To-Do List, Not Your Mind
Your mind can hold only aboutseven chunks of information at once. Why push your luck? Do you frequently have flashes of brilliance when you're in the shower, out for a walk, driving the freeway? Write them down immediately rather than juggle them in your mind. Those who make lists stay on target and save time between tasks and ideas without wondering what comes next. Those who don't make lists are at the mercy of events, memory, and mediocrity.

Equip Multiple Places of Existence
Wherever you need to do work, have there what you need-paper, pen, stamps, phone, calculator, computer, food. With the routine tools at hand, you can FINISH all these petty little projects while you're waiting in the car, in the line, in the lobby. Get a transport system for what you have to carry back and forth. Sorting and packing and then resorting and repacking into your briefcase can be a time-consuming chore. If you have several continuing projects, then have a bag, case, or binder for each.

Create Systems and Routines for the Daily Duties
Systems and routines make things faster, cheaper, and better. If you collect the same information over and over, why not compile a form to hand to your customers or employees? If you give out the same answers to the same questions, prepare a flyer for visitors and callers. If you give the same instructions for operating the same equipment, post the procedure near the equipment. If you respond to customers about the same products, create boilerplate letters and proposals ready for customers.

Complete Things
Bonuses come upon the completion of projects. Signed contracts come at the end of negotiations. Points go on the scoreboard only when the runner crosses the goal line. Incomplete tasks leave you feeling depressed and wasted. One thing completed is worth ten things on hold. And you'll feel energized by the accomplishment.

Work in Marathons
Marathons serve two motivations: to catch up or to get ahead. When you feel as though you're slipping further and further behind, decide to do a work marathon to catch up. Arrive early. Work late. Send out for food. Don't allow interruptions. Don't rework anything. Work fast and don't look up between projects. Put in three or four days like that, and you'll feel caught up enough to face the world again. On other occasions, you may have monumental tasks before you and want to get a jump start on them. Schedule a marathon and make it a big deal. The exhilaration from what you accomplish will more than reduce the fatigue from the actual work. When you get things done quickly, efficiently, and on schedule, not only do you impress your boss and your co-workers, but you create a sense of accomplishment that satisfies yourself as well. The next time you feel like you just can't get organized, try implementing a few or all of these tips to build momentum.

TOP 10 WAYS TO HELP RECRUITERS RECRUIT YOU !!

2013-03-23T04:49:00.003-07:00

All good recruiters want to help their clients by finding the best available person for the job, but you have to remember that, as a candidate, you aren't paying for their services—the (hiring) client is. To get and keep their interest, and ultimately be presented to the client, you have to help your recruiter.

Here are some widely held guidelines on the steps between contacting a recruiter and getting offered a job:
1.       A good resume and cover letter are the first essential step. Tips on doing a good cover letter are available, but it often doesn't accompany the resume when sent on to hiring managers. Therefore, the cover letter gets a recruiter's interest, but the resume and recruiter's presentation are what will "sell you" to the client. Every detail matters.
2.       Once you've sent your information, you should get a response. Usually the "No" responses come quicker than the "Yes" responses because the recruiter is combing through many applications. People who don't fit are simplest to contact quickly. People who do fit are collected and typically get a phone call or E-mail asking for more information upon which to make a decision. This may take up to (or longer than) a week, but if you don't get a response within 5 working days, follow up with an E-mail or phone call.
3.       Respond quickly when contacted by a recruiter. They're working as hard as they can to fill positions, and a slow response is viewed as a lack of interest. You also force them to contact more people while waiting for your response, which could cost you your chance at a great job. Many qualified people never get presented because other candidates were more qualified or showed more interest/cooperation. This is not a time to play poker or hard-to-get.
4.       Respond honestly to questions asked of you, but realize they are focused on whether or not you are someone who should be presented to the client. Be especially honest about your income expectations and any geographic limitations.  Most clients want recruiters to only present 3 to 6 finalists...people who are all qualified, interested, and would accept the position if offered. Efficient and straightforward interviewing will help earn recruiters' respect.
5.       Give the recruiter all the ammunition possible to get excited about you. Remember that EVERYONE being considered has the same basic job title, experience, education, etc., as you do. Duties and responsibilities are typically very similar, so accomplishments are often what separate the top candidates from the rest. This is the difference YOU made with previous or current employers. Be prepared to give details, not a vague "I increased sales" or "lowed costs". Tell them the problem, how you solved it, and what their results were. If necessary, offer to revise your resume so it better addresses what the recruiter's client is looking for.
6.       Be patient. Once you're told that you will be submitted to the client for consideration, you and the recruiter have to wait for feedback and action on the part of the client. Even under ideal conditions, a job vacancy requires others to do more work than normal, which further delays how quickly they can move. Be assured that the recruiter will do everything possible to get a decision and an interview as quickly as possible. At this point, following up with the recruiter only uses up valuable time and can even get them irritated with you. If anything changes, they will contact you immediately. If anything changes on your side, let the recruiter know. Contacting the client directly is suicide and will not help you at all.
7.       When the recruiter tells you that you've been selected for a phone or face-to-face meeting with the client, be open to advice and counsel. The recruiter knows the client and perhaps even the people you'll meet. The recruiter also has experience learned from hundreds or thousands of interviews and can provide you with invaluable tips and advice.
8.       Prepare for the interview. Do your homework on the company. Prepare your questions and presentation. The recruiter can help, but you want to outclass the competition for this position, and everyone else being considered is trying to outclass you. Review key client demands with your recruiter, who can guide you.
9.       Whenever you meet with a client, by phone or face-to-face, provide feedback and updates to the recruiter as soon as the meeting ends. This is your opportunity to let the recruiter help you by resolving any issues when they next talk to their client. No one likes surprises that affect their livelihood.
10.    Have a well-thought-out negotiation strategy. The offer may be made by the client or through the recruiter, and it should be within the range discussed with you previously. Asking for more at this final stage creates the risk of being passed over for the next best candidate, so be very careful that you're prepared to lose the job if what you're asking for is not agreed to.  Revising an official offer is not easily done.  Being hard-to-get at this stage rarely works: no one wants to hire a "reluctant bride." They want someone who's equally excited about entering into this marriage.
Remember that the recruiter only succeeds if they find, recruit, and help their client hire the best available person. The right person will positively impact their client, and the recruiter's future business with that client. They won't endanger that by trying to do anything other than what is best for ALL the parties concerned.

By Steve Kendall

Train your Brain- Fine Tuning Your Thoughts for Wealth, Success and Happiness !!

2013-03-23T04:47:00.003-07:00

"Train your Brain- Fine Tuning Your Thoughts for Wealth, Success and Happiness", written by By Dottye Blake .

We are what we think! Like a stone thrown on the water, thought produces ripples and waves which spread out over the great ocean of thought. The difference is that waves on the water move only on a level plane in all directions; but thought waves move in all directions from a common center, like the Sun’s rays. Just as we are surrounded by a great sea of air, we are also surrounded by a great sea of Mind. Our thought waves move in this vast mental ether, extending in all directions, and lessening in intensity because of the friction created by the waves coming into contact with the all-surrounding great sea of Mind.

These thought waves have other qualities differing from the waves on the water. They have the property of reproducing themselves; in this respect they resemble sound waves rather than waves upon the water. Just as the operatic singer will cause a glass to vibrate and “sing” ( and maybe shatter, too!), so will a strong thought tend to awaken similar vibrations in minds attuned to receive it. But, unless our minds are attuned to receive it, the thought will likely not affect us. If we are thinking high and great thoughts, our minds will acquire a certain keynote corresponding to the character of the thoughts we have been thinking. To understand the keynote, think of singing. When you are younger, your natural singing voice is usually in a higher key than it will be when you are older. The point of this is to establish your mind’s vibrational frequency at a higher “pitch” than you are used to. Once this keynote is established, we will be able to catch the vibrations of other minds keyed to the same thought. This also works if we get into the unfortunate habit of thinking thoughts of low character- we soon echo the low thoughts emanating from the minds of the thousands who think along these lines.

We ARE largely what we have THOUGHT OURSELVES INTO BEING, the balance being represented by the character of the suggestions and thought of others, which have reached us either directly by verbal suggestions, or telepathically by means of such thought waves. Our general mental attitude determines the character of the thought waves received from others as well as the thoughts emanating from ourselves. We receive only such thoughts as are in harmony with the general mental attitude held by ourselves: the thoughts not in harmony have very little influence on us, as they awaken no response in us.

When you maintain a positive strong mental attitude of Confidence and Determination and believe in yourself 100 percent, you are not likely to be affected by adverse and negative thoughts of Discouragement and Failure emanating from the minds of other persons in whom Discouragement and Failure predominate. At the same time, these negative thoughts, if they reach a person whose mental attitude is tuned to a low key, deepen the person’s negative state, and add fuel to the fire which is consuming the person’s strength, or smother the person’s energy and activity. There have been times in my life when I lacked the energy to even get out of bed, due to my mental state. Negative thoughts can overwhelm a person, and cause them to “freeze up”.

The ancient Norse and Germanic peoples used an alphabet which today is referred to as the Runes. Think of the harsh conditions under which they lived, with the long, bitterly cold Winter bringing starvation and death to those who had not prepared by putting away enough of the food which was grown and gathered during the short Summer. One of the letters in their alphabet resembles two sticks being rubbed together to make a fire. This rune is called Nauthiz, the “need-rune”. One of the basic lessons of Nauthiz is that when times get rough, you better “get going” and take action- rub those sticks together! Meditation on this lesson is one way I overcome any mental blocks that cause me to “freeze up” and do nothing.

When your mind is operating along positive lines, you feel strong, buoyant, bright, happy, confident and courageous, and are enabled to do your work well, to carry out your intentions, and to progress on your road(s) to Success. You send out strong positive thought, which affects others and causes them to co-operate with you, or to follow your lead. When you are playing on the negative end of the “mental keyboard”, you feel depressed, weak, passive, dull fearful and cowardly. You find yourself unable to make any progress or to succeed. Your net effect on others is zero. You are led by others, rather than leading others, and are used as a human doormat by more positive persons. The old saying “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything!” comes to mind. This was one mistake I made earlier in my life. By wallowing in negativity, I attracted more negativity, in the form of persons who would use and abuse me.

Remember- you possess the power to raise the keynote of your mind to a positive pitch by an effort of your will. The challenge is not to allow yourself to drop into a low, negative note by carelessness or a weak will.

In Eliphas Levi’s Transcendental Magic, we find one of the earliest (if not the first) mentions of The Four Powers of the Sphinx, also known as The Four Powers of the Magus. The Third Power of the Sphinx (or Magus) — To Will — holds the key when it comes to incorporating these lessons into our actual practice. The force of the human will is an extraordinary thing. While it is not unlike electricity, in that it often follows the “path of least resistance”, it has the amazing capability to go “against the current”. This is not without some amount of inherent stress and discomfort for the “willer”, but quite often, it produces results that are well worth the effort if done in the proper way.

There are more people on the negative plane of thought than on the positive plane; consequently, there are more negative thought vibrations in operation in our mental atmosphere. Happily for us, this is counter-balanced by the fact that a positive thought is much more powerful than a negative one, and if by force of will we raise ourselves up to a higher mental key, we can shut out the depressing thoughts and take up the vibrations of the surrounding positive thoughts corresponding to our changed mental attitude. This is one of the secrets of the affirmations and autosuggestions used by Master Mind and other groups involved in schools of Mental Science. Affirmations serve two purposes:

1. They tend to establish new mental attitudes within us and act powerfully in character-building, and in making ourselves over

2. They tend to raise the mental keynote, so that we get the benefit of the positive thought waves of others on the same higher plane of thought.

Whether or not we actually believe in them, we are constantly making affirmations. When you assert that you can and will do something- and assert it earnestly-you develop in yourself the qualities conducive to the well-doing of that thing. At the same time, you place in your mind the proper key to receive all thought waves likely to help you make your thought-form a reality, and accomplish your goal. On the other hand, if you say and feel that you are going to fail, you will choke and smother the fire of the thoughts coming up from your own subconscious which are intended to help you, and you will place yourself in tune with the “failure-thought” of the world. There is too much “failure thought” around, and it is easy to succumb.

As another catch-word entreats, “Rise above it!”. Do not allow yourself to be pulled down by adverse and negative thoughts of those around you. Rise to the upper chambers of your mental dwelling, and key yourself up to a strong, high pitch, away from eh vibrations on the lower planes of thought. Then, you will not only be immune to their negative vibrations, but will be in touch with the great body of strong positive thought coming from those of your own plane of development. Keep your mind in a “comfortable” key, not straining to reach the “high note” But, have the “high note” at your command, and use it when circumstances demand. You will no longer be under the mercy of old, ingrained negative programming or actions of the mind, but will have them well under control. Development of the will is much like physical training to achieve muscle development. It is a matter of practice and gradual development and improvement. At first, it will be tiresome, but with each trial you will grow stronger until the new strength becomes real and permanent.

Managers and Employee Termination

2013-03-23T04:43:00.001-07:00

Managers and Employee Terminationby Matt KrumrieMonster Contributing Writer

Letting an employee go is a difficult situation most managers want to avoid, but with the right preparation and professionalism, you can get through such a tough talk with your dignity -- and your employee's -- intact.

Firing Best Practices

Another manager or HR representative should always be present, especially if terminating a potentially hostile employee or one who might twist your words or make false accusations. It is also best to include a balance of genders, says Lissa Weimelt, principal with The Hiring Experts, a retained executive search firm.

The best place to terminate is a private office or meeting room close to an exit -- there is nothing worse than an upset employee having to traipse through a workplace to find his way out.

Out of respect for and fairness to the employee, terminate as early in the workweek and day as possible. In addition, bring tissues and water as well as the phone number for an employee assistance program representative, if available, says Scott Cawood, PhD, president of ModernThink, an employee management consulting firm.

"If you let someone work all day, then they are giving to the company, and other employees will see this as disrespectful that you let them give all day long, or all week long, then fired them at the last possible moment," says Cawood, author ofDestination Profit: Creating People-Profit Opportunities in Your Organization . "Fire them early and pay them for the day, but let them leave right after the meeting.

There are logistical issues to work out, too. Cawood once had to terminate an employee who used a company car. How will that employee get home? Finally, have any necessary paperwork or documents ready to avoid scrambling for them as the employee tries to leave.

What to Say and How to Say It

When the time comes, it's best to just get down to business, says Pamela Holland, author of Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move? and chief operating officer of Brody Communications. "The termination discussion should be as brief as possible," she says. "Your tone should be calm and assertive."

According to Weimelt, ex-employees often criticize former employers for giving vague reasons for termination. "Being prepared, staying calm and speaking respectfully is critical to a termination procedure," she says. "Many employees actually know when they are not doing a good job. If the termination itself is handled well, an ex-employee is less likely to blame the employer for being fired."

Managers should know that saying too much can get them into legal hot water, says Weimelt. Therefore, it's important to make a prepared, written statement that can be placed in the employee's personnel file, such as:

John, after reviewing your work performance for the last two months, we concluded that this job is not a good fit for your skills. Because of that, today is your last day. We thank you for working with us on a smooth transition. You will have time to gather your personal items, and we will assist you.

Cawood says it's important to get to the point quickly. "You should let someone know the real deal within three minutes of the start of the meeting," he says. "Don't worry about breaking the ice. There is nothing you can do that will make the message pleasurable."

After You Drop the Bomb

According to Weimelt, employees may have a variety of questions, including:

Can you give me an example of what I did wrong?
Will I get a reference from you?
Can I file for unemployment?
Are you going to tell other employees I am fired?
Do I get any severance?

The best policy overall is to avoid being backed into the specifics trap and refer any questions regarding company policy to HR.

Managers need to keep sight of the bigger picture. "The important thing to remember is that your role as a manager is to ensure that certain deliverables are being met in keeping with the company's strategic direction," says Holland. "When someone fails to do that in his or her job, either because of lack of ability or bad judgment, you must draw strength in the fact that by terminating that person, you are fulfilling your obligations and doing the right thing."

It's also important to remember that your delivery can help soften the blow. "There is never an easy way to share hard information," says Cawood. "You can, however, be sensitive to the employee's need to process the data, be upset and avoid being embarrassed."

The Art of the Networking Letter

2012-12-25T09:43:00.001-08:00

The Art of the Networking Letter
by Alesia Benedict

Today's job search can seem impersonal - just email, computer databases, job boards, and technology. But these are just the tools to reach an end goal that has not changed. That goal is to connect people and jobs. Companies spend a great deal of money on hiring, about $6000 per hire (Challenger, Gray and Christmas, 2005). It's not surprising that employers prefer to hire from within (internal hires) or from referrals (employee or vendor recommendation); candidates hired are often more suitable to the position and company culture, and the process saves money.

Despite the prevalence of technology, job seekers need to leverage the advantage that good old-fashioned networking brings to the job search. This places you in that coveted referral spot. It's imperative that when seeking a new job, you ask around for leads, connections, and information, as a combination of efforts produce the best results.

In addition to a stellar resume and cover letter, your job search toolkit should contain a good networking letter. Many job seekers think a networking letter is simply a cover letter in which the first sentence drops a name of someone whom the reader may, or may not know. That's not a networking letter! A networking letter is designed to make a connection somehow, and ask for information, ask for a further connection, instigate a call to action, or establish a rapport. The networking letter will also contain information that the reader needs to know about your goals or about your qualifications, but it is not as extensive as a cover letter to a hiring manager would be.

Let's look at the following networking letter.

Dear Robert,
It was great to see you at the IEEE meeting on Tuesday evening. I enjoyed not only your talk on heat sink technology but also catching up on news out of Intel. Once the weather turns, we'll have to start up our monthly golf games again.

You mentioned in our conversation at dinner that your department had been doing some work with Apple on some new innovations. While I've been happy working here at EA and have been able to be a part of some pretty significant accomplishments for the company, the continued far-reaching outlook at Apple for new horizons intrigues me. They are known, of course, to have the best graphics in the industry, and I'd like to find out more about what they foresee for the next five years concerning resolution and speed. I would like an opportunity to talk with someone at Apple about how my background and skills with EA could fit into their plans.

I'm hoping you can help. My goal is to meet with the head of research and development for graphics at Apple to get a better understanding of their direction and where I might be able to fit into their program. The work I've done in high definition pixilation may well be a skill set they are seeking and I'd like to explore that opportunity. I would appreciate a contact or introduction to your point of contact at Apple in interest of achieving my goal.

I'm attaching my resume but what I'm truly seeking is a telephone conversation with your contact or a decision-maker in the Apple R&D department. I'll be back in touch with you by next Tuesday, by email, in hope that you can help me with this connection. I greatly appreciate your help and assistance. Give my regards to Jenna!

Sincerely,
Grant Hughes

This networking letter does many things. First of all, it establishes the connection between the sender and receiver. It gives a context for the relationship and refreshes the memory of the reader regarding the sender.

Next, the letter references a conversation the two people had that leads to the reason behind the correspondence. The job seeker lets it be known that he is passively (and possibly confidentially) exploring the market and that he recognizes the recipient's connection into one of the industry's leading companies. At the end of the second paragraph, the job seeker states his goal - what assistance he is seeking by saying he is looking for a connection into the company.

The third paragraph refines that goal to a meeting with the head of research and development for graphics. He supports this goal with a brief synopsis of the experience he has that would qualify him for that type of work with the target company. He finishes the paragraph with a direct call to action from the reader. He doesn't hint or beat around the bush - he asks specifically for an introduction or an "in" to the company.

The final paragraph provides a reference to the job seeker's attached resume but emphasizes that the true goal is a more personal connection - a telephone conversation. He is specific about when and how he will be back in touch with the reader and then closes with warm gratitude and a greeting to the reader's wife to reemphasize the personal connection. You can see clearly that this is not simply a traditional cover letter with a name dropped in the first sentence. While in this case, a resume was included, this letter could just as easily have been sent without a resume since it's not relying on the resume to make the connection, but rather the person. A good networking letter makes a personal connection while asking for a specific call to action from the reader. It gives a brief overview of qualifications of the job seeker and is specific about how the job seeker will be back in touch with the reader. It is all personal and conversational while still being professional
in nature.

The more our world relies on technology as tools, the more important it becomes to make your job search personal and strive for connections. Technology is helpful in streamlining the process but networking is one of the most valuable tools job seekers have and, without a doubt, the most neglected. Revitalize your job search today with great networking letters and personal connections.

[Source: Alesia Benedict is the Executive Director GetInterviews.com. She's also been cited by Jist Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North America" and quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune.]

Creating a Compelling Scorecard

2012-12-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

Creating a Compelling Scorecard

by Sue Kruse

To move an organization from a 'kick me' to a 'count on me' orientation takes accountability and trackable measurement. Sue Kruse talks about how using a Scorecard can help accomplish a proactive environment.

Take a common scenario-customers complain about restrooms not being clean enough. Everyone scrambles to find a solution and what often happens is that we as trainers get a call saying that the training is bad and that's why the bathrooms are filthy. That's the kick me approach. The other approach is more proactive. It says everyone has accountability and that all can work together to make sure things get done properly. That's the count on me approach.

This idea is a new look at a new definition of the 'Oz Principle', a book that came out of the Harvard Business School written by Roger Connors and Tom Smith.

The concept is an attitude of continually asking 'what else can I do' to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire?' It is the process of seeing, owning, solving and doing. It requires a level of ownership that includes making, keeping and proactively answering for personal commitments. It is a perspective that embraces both current and future efforts rather than reactive and historical explanations.

It's an 'above the line' orientation to problem solving where everyone has the attitude of 'see it', 'own it', 'solve it' and 'do it.' It's the polar opposite of 'below the line ' behavior, 'The Blame Game' where employees are apt to: ignore or deny problems, say 'It's not my job,' use finger pointing, continually ask what they should be doing, covering their tails or taking a passive approach, the 'wait and see' attitude.

So how can we move our departments from a 'Kick Me' to a 'Count on Me' orientation? What we have found to be effective is to create a scorecard. The scorecard helps you move from a strictly problem solving department:

a) where a need arises and you respond

b) to a department with a mission and goals so that you can anticipate problems before they occur

Scorecards help you:

a) clarify the competencies that make a 'good fit' between a candidate and a particular person

b) quantify key accountabilities that define 'A' level performance in a specific job

c) focus everyone on the most critical performance issues

d) define what 'A' level performance looks like in a particular job

e) let people know what they will be responsible for delivering

f) give 'A' players a level of ownership and accountability, something 'A' players love

g) build a 'performance culture'

The first step in developing a scorecard for your organization is to set clearly defined results. We use a color coded system of green, yellow and red. For example, one 'operating standard' for field training for our operations is that every GM, AM and FPM in every corporate store has a current ServSafe certification on file, and that every RM/FC is certified to proctor. If all of my managers have certification, then I am at 100% and I am in the green zone. If just one falls short, then I have a yellow score. If more than one is not certified, then I fall into the red zone. Because of the scorecard, there is no guessing. I always know where my scores are and if I have anything in the red, I know to fix it right away.

The second step is to make the results clear to all staff team members. Everyone knows what my score is and we work in partnership to make sure we are all working in the green zone. I myself am nothing without the regional management staff. When I'm in the green, I celebrate with the regional managers. And that leads to the third step which is to establish joint accountability for the results, let everyone know that it's a team effort to stay in the green zone. Finally, you must publish the results each period so that everyone sees what the score is for different areas and can see how to improve for the next period.

There are many benefits to using a scorecard system. Scorecards identify and recognize top performers, set up a low cost/no cost recognition system i.e. set up what 'A' level performance looks like, and scorecards use people's strengths to move performance.

Everyone in the organization becomes part of the process. With a scorecard people have a visual representation to gauge performance. Scorecards encourage open and candid communication allowing people to ask for feedback. They offer feedback and help people see the reality of the situation. Scorecards help people 'See It'. With a scorecard everyone develops a personal investment in their jobs and investments are acknowledged. Employees gain ownership and buy-in. Scorecards help people 'Own It'. People begin to ask 'What else can I do to achieve the desired result'. They actively redefine boundaries and creatively deal with obstacles while staying focused on the results. They 'Solve It'. Finally, everyone reports results proactively, relentlessly follow up and they do things they say they'll do because the progress is continuously measured. They 'Do It'.

Since we have implemented the scorecard I've noticed that people 'play' differently. It creates a certain intensity. Huddles happen, new plays and strategies are created constantly and everyone adapts quickly to changes. Scorecards have worked well in our organization. It has changed and improved the way I work. I know I can't sleep if I'm in the red zone. I'm confident that you will benefit from increased accountability when you introduce scorecards in your organization.

Why VPs of HR Don't Become CEOs

2012-12-25T09:37:00.001-08:00

Why VPs of HR Don't Become CEOs
by John Sullivan

It's incredible rare to find a Fortune 500 vice president of HR who has been promoted to CEO within his or her organization. It's a striking indication that HR still has a long way to go.

Have you noticed that in announcements about people being promoted to the CEO level, their previous job title is almost always CFO, CIO or general manager of a business unit? Rarely, if ever, were they VPs of HR.

I have monitored the topic for years and can attest that it's incredibly rare to find a Fortune 500 VP of HR who has been promoted to CEO within his or her organization. It's a striking indication that HR still has a long way to go. The dearth of direct promotions is especially troubling in that most outbound Fortune 500 CEOs have at one time or another declared publicly that "people are our most important asset."

Having had the opportunity to advise literally hundreds of VPs of HR around the world over the course of my career, I have concluded that there are a number of reasons why HR VPs are rarely tapped to lead organizations. Here's my top 10 (unlike David Letterman's list, I haven't ranked mine):

1. Failing to state CEO as a career goal. Many VPs of HR publicly declare that serving in that job is the pinnacle of their career dreams. They see themselves as a behind-the-scenes player. And they are therefore often treated as such.

2. Failing to build a well-recognized internal HR brand. Image is as important within an organization as it is outside one. Unfortunately, most VPs fail to develop an internal brand as the solver of strategic business problems.

3. Failing to prove impact. HR people are notorious for calling themselves business partners, but routinely fail to act like business professionals by not using the language of business: dollars and cents. By not assessing the business impact of HR actions in dollars, HR professionals demonstrate that they don't understand the big picture.

4. Failing to anticipate and forecast. CEOs seldom dwell on history, focusing instead on the future. In stark contrast, HR professionals rarely, if ever, forecast. They seldom issue warnings or announce plans to quell upcoming people/business problems.

5. Failing to build a competitive advantage. CEOs are often focused on being No.1 in everything they do. HR, by contrast, tends to manage to the average, focusing on internal comparisons and rarely on external competitors. Only one in a thousand HR functions routinely complete a function-by-function competitive analysis in order to assess and build their competitive advantage.

6. Dwelling on equal treatment instead of differentiating and focusing on performance. Most VPs of HR seem to have an obsession with equity. Unfortunately, increasing workforce productivity requires that HR continually shift its best people and resources from low-impact/low-return areas to high-impact/high-return programs and focus on top performers.

7. Failing to take the lead with technology. In a world of rapid change, nothing sends a clearer message that you are on the leading edge than early adoption of effective technology. Faster, more accurate decisions can only occur when VPs move to make HR paperless and to provide every manager with desktop access to decision tools and people information.

8. Failing to think and act globally. The world of business is flattering, but most VPs of HR continue to be "location-centric." Frequently, HR fails to develop a global strategy where "one size fits one." They also fail to develop programs to share best practices, which can enable rapid learning and solution sharing around the world.

9. Failing to demonstrate responsiveness and effectiveness within HR. Although it is essential in order to build credibility, HR often fails to deliver excellent, consistent service in the eyes of management customers, which is a prerequisite before anyone will truly pay attention to HR.

10. Failing to build a performance culture. CEOs are expected to be winners year in and year out. VPs of HR should be no different. They are expected to build a performance culture that develops a sense of urgency about performance within every manager and employee. When the press, colleagues, competitors and top management begin describing your culture as "performance-focused," then the VP of HR has succeeded in his or her mission.

Whether you are a midlevel HR professional or a current VP of HR, the time is now for you to begin acting like a future CEO. The errors you need to avoid are clear. And even if you don't make it all the way to CEO, you might end up being the most effective and influential HR professional in your industry.

[Source: Workforce Management / January 2007]

Accepting Yourself Unconditionally !!

2012-12-25T09:35:00.002-08:00

Accepting Yourself Unconditionally" by Brian Tracy

How Are You Treated By Others?
Self-acceptance begins in infancy, with the influence of your parents and siblings and other important people.

Your own level of self-acceptance is determined largely by how well you feel you are accepted by the important people in your life.

Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that you think other people have toward you.

When you believe that other people think highly of you, your level of self-acceptance and self-esteem goes straight up.

The best way to build a healthy personality involves understanding yourself and your feelings.

Let The Light Shine In
This is achieved through the simple exercise of self-disclosure. For you to truly understand yourself, or to stop being troubled by things that may have happened in your past, you must be able to disclose yourself to at least one person.

You have to be able to get those things off your chest. You must rid yourself of those thoughts and feelings by revealing them to someone who won’t make you feel guilty or ashamed for what has happened.

Understand What Makes You Tick
The second part of personality development follows from self-disclosure, and it’s called self-awareness.

Only when you can disclose what you’re truly thinking and feeling to someone else can you become aware of those thoughts and emotions.

If the other person simply listens to you without commenting or criticizing, you have the opportunity to become more aware of the person you are and why you do the things you do. You begin to develop perspective, or what the Buddhists call “detachment.”

Be Honest With Yourself
Now we come to the good part. After you’ve gone through self-disclosure to self-awareness, you arrive at self-acceptance.

You accept yourself for the person you are, with good points and bad points, with strengths and weaknesses, and with the normal frailties of a human being.

When you develop the ability to stand back and look at yourself honestly, and to candidly admit to others that you may not be perfect but you’re all you’ve got, you start to enjoy a heightened sense of self-acceptance.

Do An Inventory Of Your Accomplishments
A valuable exercise for developing higher levels of self-acceptance involves doing an inventory of yourself.

In doing this inventory, your job is to accentuate the positive and minimize the negative.

Think of your unique talents and abilities. Think of your core skills, the things that you do exceptionally well that account for your success in your profession and in your personal life right now.

Think About Your Future
Think about your future possibilities and the fact that your potential is virtually unlimited. You can do what you want to do and go where you want to go.

You can be the person you want to be. You can set large and small goals and make plans and move step-by-step, progressively toward their realization.

There are no obstacles to what you can accomplish except the obstacles that you create in your mind.

Action Exercises:

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, sit down with your spouse, or a good friend, and tell him or her about something that is troubling you and is still causing you unhappiness.

Second, develop perspective on your problem by standing back from it and imagining that it was happening to someone else. What advice would you give to that person?

Third, think continually about the good experiences and accomplishments you have enjoyed in the past. Remind yourself regularly that you are a pretty good person and you’ve done a lot of good things in your life.

Five Tips to Improve the Cohesiveness in Your Management Team

2012-12-25T09:33:00.003-08:00

Five Tips to Improve the Cohesiveness in Your Management Team

by Dr. Rick Johnson

A cohesive management team is the most important ingredient to your company's success. The management team needs to function as a team to maximize their accomplishments. To quote an over used phrase, teamwork is really key to an effective management team.

This sounds like a simple concept but it is more complicated than you might think. It just isn't a natural act for people to come together and immediately become effective by addressing common objectives, common issues and common problems.

A management team can often become overwhelmed by day to day events which effectively prohibits strategic thinking. Thinking outside the box becomes difficult because they are too busy trying to control what's going on inside the box. The sharing of common visions and long term goals becomes extremely difficult.

Individual personalities, values and personal goals often become roadblocks to functioning well as a team. Getting your management team to focus on common strategic goals is not easy but it is absolutely essential if you are going to maintain competitive advantage and get things done.

Five tips to get your management team to function as a unit.

1. Take complex plans and strategies and assign accountability and ownership. This creates more efficiency and leverages creativity. Assign responsibility according to individual passions.

2. Brainstorming must be encouraged to release team innovation. Bouncing ideas off one another stimulates creative thinking which leads to creative solutions. This in itself bonds individuals into a common purpose.

3. Ask for solutions assigning both responsibility and empowerment. Ownership of ideas and initiatives builds commitment. Involving the team in creating direction and solutions through empowerment generates commitment to the tasks necessary to meet objectives.

4. Challenge your management team. Reliance on team effectiveness minimizes risk by being more flexible and adaptive than relying on a single individual. No one individual alone can jeopardize success. The loss of one team member can be overcome without losing sight of the objectives.

5. Create a 'Night of the Long Knives
• The 'Night of the Long Knives' is a terminology used when the Elephant is too big to eat and you have to chop it up into pieces.

• It is the coming together of a competent team to address common issues & challenges that need to be resolved in the best interest of the entire group

Document current and future challenges, projects, initiatives and issues. Ask your management team to review them, add their thoughts and comment on any issues that may have been overlooked. Lastly, ask them to prioritize the list based on the impact to the success of the organization over the next twelve to eighteen months. Arrange for a two day 'Night of the Long Knives' workshop utilizing the following agenda.

• Defining the hurdles to both short term and long term success

• Identification of critical constraints

• Re-Prioritization

• Scenario planning and brain storming

• Action planning both short and long term (12 months)

• Presentation for call to action and resources required

Smart Salary Negotiation Strategies Can Make You Rich

2012-12-25T09:33:00.001-08:00

Smart Salary Negotiation Strategies Can Make You Rich
by Robin Ryan

Moral of the story - - ASK!

But, how? What must I say or do to get the best offer possible?
I cover salary negotiations thoroughly in my book 60 Seconds & You're Hired!, but here are a few key points to guide you:

Know what your skills are worth.
Don't guess. KNOW! Go to my website and click on Salary to learn what employers are paying for your level of experience and skills. You can also check with your professional association - - almost all agencies publish salary ranges based on job title and experience level.

Whoever mentions money first loses.
To preserve your negotiations power it's critical to never reveal what your salary is (or was). Plan for these salary questions and arm yourself with appropriate answers that keep an employer guessing. Instead of revealing your old salary, offer a statement of fact, citing a salary survey source (i.e. professional association or journal) and give them a salary range, commenting that you are within that range. Laura, an ambitious woman was too open in interview and told the hiring manager her true salary, which was low because promises of raises had never materialized at her current job. The HR recruiter later informed her that, once the hiring manager heard the low figure her current employer paid her, he changed his opinion of her and downgraded all of her achievements and abilities. (The new job paid twice her salary.) In her interview coaching session we worked on how to effectively handle salary questions and armed with effective strategies she landed the job adding a
$32,000 pay increase over the job she left.

Try!
The critical mistake people make is they never even try to negotiate at all - - especially women who are still paid 23% less than men. They simply accept the offer as given. Too bad, because employers still offer higher salaries and more lucrative benefits packages, simply because the prospective employee asked for them. If the employer is convinced the candidate would be a valuable addition to their team they are often willing to negotiate.

Negotiate to get the money up front.
Promises of future bonuses, raises, stock options, and reviews in a few months, all have a way of never happening down the line. Negotiate every dollar you want into the salary base now when the employer is most amenable. Cover the whole package. Determine the value a company's benefits offer and ask for what you'd like, be it more vacation, flextime, tuition reimbursement, stock options, company car, etc. Don't forget about signing bonuses. They are all the rage again, and often available just for the asking.

Get an employment offer in writing.
Promises are quickly forgotten once you start the job. Get the details of your agreement in writing by requesting an employment offer letter from the employer so there are no misunderstandings later.

Poor Grammar, Poor Impression

2012-12-25T09:31:00.001-08:00

Poor Grammar, Poor Impression
by Judi Perkins

I've become increasingly concerned about the ignorance of Americans - not those who have learned English as a second language, but native English speakers - regardless of race, income level, schooling or other determining factors.

The number of people who read seems to be decreasing in direct proportion to the number of kids growing up with portable dvds, and ipods. Television has become the preferred babysitter for children and the most effective way for adults to anesthetize themselves after a day's work.

These days I see egregious (horrible, outrageous, astoundingly bad) grammatical errors on resumes and cover letter, web sites, signs, emails to me...regardless of management or income level. Some of these are written by people who are in the job market hoping to be invited in for an interview, and their paperwork is full of punctuation and grammatical mistakes. Were they careless? Or do they not know? Maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe the hiring authority doesn't know the difference either.

The other day I saw the back of a company shirt that said: providing quality service since 10 years. A company shirt? How many were printed and are worn by employees who walk around advertising that that particular company has someone in an upper-level management position who didn't catch the error or didn't know the difference?

Here's a sign I saw in a store a few weeks ago: We do not except credit cards. (It should be "accept".)

Last week a senior level manager emailed me. He confused "its" and "it's" in three different places. ("Its" is possessive. "It's" is the contraction of "it is".) Here's what really bugs me: the new rule that seems to have come into effect in the last year - if in doubt, add an apostrophe. So what's happened is that people all over America have lost the understanding of the difference between plural and possessive (possessive gets an S, plural does not).

Your resume and your cover letter are not just a synopsis of your background. They are not just an introduction of you when you hope to be considered for an interview. First and foremost they are a brochure, and they are selling a product, and the product is you.

If you were shopping for a new car, what would you think if all the Honda or Lexus or Toyota brochures had apostrophes in the wrong place? Or misspelled words? Or glaring grammatical errors? Would you know?

What about a flyer from your local grocery store? Or a promotional piece from your state representative?

On some level it's going to make a difference as to what you think of that company or person. If they aren't careful enough about their literature or sales material, what else don't they pay attention to?

Don't rely on Microsoft Word's ABC/Grammar checker. It isn't able to discern if a word is spelled correctly but used out of context. The grammar checker won't help you unless you have a fundamental understanding of grammar to begin with. In fact, if you defer to the grammar checker's advice, you'll probably increase the number of mistakes.

An excellent reference book to keep on hand is The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer. In "Words Often Confused" it clarifies the differences between pairs of words such as "well" and "good".

Don't tell yourself it doesn't matter. Don't tell yourself that your skills are more important. Above all, don't tell yourself that everyone speaks poorly these days and the hiring authority won't know or care. The ability to communicate, written and spoken, is of paramount importance - certainly in business. And it only becomes more valuable as fewer people are able to demonstrate it.

Keywords for Resume Success

2012-12-25T09:29:00.003-08:00

Keywords for Resume Success

by Louise Garver

Imagine you have the perfect qualifications for a position advertised online. Your background, track record, and skill set are ideal for the job. The job is yours for the taking. Or is it? In today's technology-driven world, you may not be considered a qualified candidate - even though you are.

The reason? Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS. This tool automates the application process for recruiters and human resources personnel. The process essentially follows this pattern: You submit your resume online. Often, you're able to upload your resume and the system proceeds to extract your information. You're then asked to verify that the information has been extracted correctly. You may also be asked to complete a questionnaire related to the position(s) you're seeking.

Your information then goes into a database, allowing recruiters to search for ideal candidates. Recruiters enter search criteria, and the database produces a list of candidates that meet the criteria. To increase your odds of being found by recruiters, you need to develop a resume that will be flagged as meeting the criteria. To do this, you'll need a keyword-rich resume.

Keywords are generally nouns that identify experience, skills and qualifications relevant to a position. Although keywords may also include industry "buzzwords" and verbs, the majority of keywords are nouns. Examples include: Vice President of Sales, Marketing Communications Manager, Finance Director, UNIX, SQL, MBA, BA in Business Management and so forth.

Does your resume include the right keywords for the positions you're seeking? To maximize your chances of being found by recruiters, follow these tips:

1. Review the job advertisement for keywords.

The listing will contain most of the keywords the employer or recruiter will use to filter out resumes. Avoid creating a generic resume and submitting it to as many employers as possible. Instead craft a targeted resume and market yourself through keywords found in the listing.

2. Check advertisements for similar positions.

Find and review other ad listings for similar jobs that may contain more keywords to incorporate.

3. Make a list of all experience and qualifications that are relevant to the position.

This includes any skills, industry jargon, acronyms, association memberships, and so on. Any words that overlap with those found in advertisements should definitely be included.

4. Keyword saturation.

Incorporate as many keywords as possible into your resume. The more keywords you incorporate, the better your chances of being flagged by the software. Include the words throughout your resume, where appropriate. Of course, you'll want to make sure that your resume is "readable" by both keyword scanners and people. You may also want to consider adding a "Keyword" or "Skills" section to describe your skills and qualifications.

5. Use variations of the word or acronym.

If possible, use variations of the same word or acronym in your resume. If a recruiter is searching for candidates with a Ph.D., the search may be for "PhD," "Ph.D," "Doctor of Phil." and so on.

6. Refresh your resume often.

Recruiters can include the date your resume was submitted in their search. Newer resumes indicate that you're actively seeking a new position while, if your submission is months old, it may be assumed that you're no longer searching. So guess who gets flagged and possibly interviewed first? Refreshing your resume is often as simple as resubmitting it or updating information, even if it means retyping your name and clicking the "Update" or "Submit" button. Be sure to take this easy step for big results.

Ultimately, the best way to increase your visibility is to do your homework on the type of positions you're interested in and incorporate relevant keywords strategically into your resume. Use the tips above to create a tailored resume, and you'll increase your chances of being found by a recruiter, called in for an interview, and hired!

The Ten-Minute Manager's Guide To...Promoting Hourly Employees

2012-12-25T09:29:00.001-08:00

The Ten-Minute Manager's Guide To...Promoting Hourly Employees

by Lisa Bertagnoli, Special to R&I

In theory, it's good to move hourly employees into management roles. Seasoned hourlies "understand a company's culture and can carry it to a higher position," says Brian Colton, restaurant owner and president of Dallas-based Preferred Restaurant Management Services.

But without a good transition process in place, promotions can misfire. Great servers don't always make ideal bosses, especially if proper training is not provided. How to prevent such moves from backfiring? Give employees clear criteria for moving up or offer them halfway points such as shift supervisor or trainer. Above all, don't be afraid to say "stop" when a promotion just isn't working out.

Clear Rules Make Successful Promotions

More than half the managers at El Pollo Loco were once hourlies. In fact, several years ago, the Irvine, California-based chain reduced the size of regions covered by area leaders so they could spend more time mentoring employees, says Jeanne A. Scott, vice president of human resources and training for the quick-service Mexican chain.

Criteria for promotions are clearly defined and available to all crew members. "They understand what it takes to be promoted, and they can see peers engaging in those activities," Scott says.

El Pollo Loco also looks for employees who have what Scott calls a "broad appreciation" of the business. "They understand how each job fits into the success of the company and, therefore, how each job should be managed," she says. Such employees are easy to spot: "They raise the standard of the whole restaurant."

Promotable employees also are disciplined and comply with standards rather than look for shortcuts. "And they're team leaders," Scott says. "If you make the mistake of promoting someone who's not, you'll pay for it," most notably in the form of resentment from other crewmembers, Scott says.

Keys to Success

At Beef O'Brady's, the Tampa, Florida-based chain of 165 sports pubs, internal promotions "are part of our business model," says President Nick Vojnovic.

When deciding which hourlies to advance, managers look for the same qualities that mark a top executive: maturity, trustworthiness, reliability and people skills. Employees with those qualities are given a trial period as a "key employee": an opener, closer or shift supervisor. Only 20% of key employees eventually make it to full-fledged manager. The remainder "still want to hang with their buddies, or they're too strict," Vojnovic says.

In those instances, stores try to roll employees back to their previous positions, even sending them to a new store to prevent embarrassment.

But some workers simply find they're comfortable as a key employee and choose not to move up. "They may have kids at home, or they don't want responsibility or more hours," Vojnovic says. "No one size fits all; we need to work with each person individually."

A Smooth Transition From Peer to Boss

Newly promoted employees sometimes find it difficult to manage workers with whom they once were peers. Palm Restaurants tries to make that transition easier.

The promoted manager is physically separated from his or her former crew during the six to 10 week training period, says Scott Vasko, vice president of human resources for the Washington, D.C.-based steakhouse chain. The separation helps employees make the emotional break with co-workers; so does a formal announcement that the person has been promoted.

Palm also has no qualms about moving freshly minted managers to another unit. "It's definitely more difficult for someone to step out of a peer group and into a supervisory role at the same location," says Vasko. About 75% of promoted employees ask to work at another unit.

Finally, the chain encourages new managers to ask for help if they need it. "They can call anyone in the organization they're comfortable with, from another GM to the head of the company," Vasko says.

And they do ask for help, Vasko says. "[Palm President] Fred Thimm has gotten a few of those calls."

Management Training

Postrio in The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, requires hourly employees to be trainers before they're managers.

"It's a necessary step," says Matt Dickerson, general manager and partner, of the training tour of duty. "They learn how to train, coach and teach, which are important elements in management."

Hourlies who are trainers are paid better, get prime hours and better sections of the dining room, and are given gift certificates to dine at other Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining restaurants, a group that includes Postrio. "Training's not easy," Dickerson says. "We take care of our trainers and make it something people want to do."

How long an hourly remains a trainer before moving to management depends on the individual. Some stay at the trainer level a year; some choose to remain trainers rather than move up, Dickerson says. Occasionally, a trainer returns to the position he or she came from, "but for the most part we try to make them successful," he says.

Dickerson admits that because of lost tip income, it can be difficult to persuade management-worthy servers or bartenders to move up. He courts them with the promise of future income, and a career. "They won't make as much in the beginning, but the money will be better in the future," he says. "And it's a career versus being a food server for the rest of your life."

Making Promotions Stick

Enthusiastic, top-performing hourly employees don't always turn into stellar managers.

"One of the biggest mistakes an operator can make is to take a very good hourly employee, put them into management and watch them become a poor manager," says Brian Colton, an owner of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, a 235-seat restaurant and night club in Overland Park, Kan.

To prevent such mistakes, Colton looks for clearly identifiable traits in hourly employees who have been promoted to semi-management positions, such as shift supervisor. The first? A server's reaction to a smaller paycheck, due to fewer tips. "That's a huge indication of a potential problem," says Colton, adding that promoted servers will eventually earn more money as full-fledged managers.

He also looks for good listening skills, leadership traits and the ability to transition from peer to boss. "Favoritism or power tripping are very noticeable," Colton says. "The employee might not realize it, but you can see it."

In that case, Colton recommends that the worker remain an hourly. "Usually there's no argument; they see it," Colton says. "Lots of people are just phenomenal at their jobs, but they aren't cut out for climbing the ladder."

Plan Your Career Progression When Looking For a Job

2012-12-25T09:28:00.001-08:00

Plan Your Career Progression When Looking For a Job

by Scott Brown

Although we never truly like to grow up, at some point in our lives we will have to start planning for the future. Why not start now by taking a moment to plan out where you want to be in 5 or 10 years. One of the best times to plan for career progression is during your job search.

Most people have a tendency to look at the salary they are making and decide that they need to make more. Don't just look at the salary, start looking at the different types of companies where you would like to work. Look at what benefits they offer other than the salary and what chance for advancement they offer. Also, think about location.

Options

No matter what your profession, there are generally options for your progression in your chosen career or there are options for changing careers or industries. Take a moment to list out what you consider to be your options. Do they look good? Is it time to change industries or change careers?

Decisions

Whether your chosen career is the one for you or you decide you need to change, there are some important decisions you will need to make when you get ready to plan your career progression.

First, do you have enough education to qualify for the position you want? If not, how do you plan to get it? Looking for jobs with companies that have great education benefits can help you in achieving your goal.

Secondly, do you have the depth and breadth of experience you need to get where you want to be? Will your current job offer you the opportunity to get that experience? If not, what types of companies will help you gain the required experience?

Finally, are you in the right area to get where you want to be? If you are looking to make a certain salary or are looking for a position that might be exclusive to certain areas (like making movies), you need to plan a career progression that allows you to move into the areas where you can pursue your dream.

So, if you are starting your job search and are just thinking about how much money you are going to make at your next job, take a moment to look where you want to be down the road and plan your job search accordingly. Being proactive and planning ahead will help prevent you from looking back on your career with regret after you turn fifty.