The Fix Is In

8 | February 1st, 2010 | Posted in Entrepreneur, Professional Development, Using Information in Career Planning, Workforce


All of us have problems. Some of us face problems occasionally. Others face problems everyday. Regardless of frequency, you can be sure that you are either having a problem now, or you will have one soon. That’s life!

Wait a minute! You are supposed to be optimistic! You are supposed to be an encourager! What’s up with this? It sounds so negative!

THINK AGAIN …

We’re not here trying to create problems for you. We are here with solutions. To have a problem is normal. To have a solution is a positive, uplifting, and encouraging thought!

TIP …

Here’s the tip. It sounds simple because it is simple. If we keep these things simple, we can fix most of them quickly!

“THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION ARE NEVER VERY FAR APART!”

EXPLANATION …

What does that mean? What kind of tip is that?

Consider this … everything in life is a process. Nothing happens in isolation. There is always a series of steps that leads to some outcome. And there are always outcomes that lead to new steps and new outcomes. We call this “process” or “process living.”

When you get your arms and head around that point, you realize that all problems occur in the processes. Everything that goes wrong in life or business goes wrong in one of the steps somewhere. And the cool thing is, you fix it where it breaks. So the solution to all your problems can also be found somewhere in the process. And the problem is usually introduced into the process at a place before the problem.

In practical terms, if you are having a problem, look at what you are doing. Look at what you have introduced into the process. See what elements are in the equation. You will find the root of the problem there, and that is the point where you will solve the problem too.

WHAT PROBLEM?

Most people don’t take time to look at the process. They just see that something is wrong and start waving red flags. If you don’t stop long enough to explore the process that led up to the problem, you will probably end up focusing on the “symptom,” and never really get to the problem.

Here is a really simple example. You have a child. The child is not feeling good. You take the child’s temperature. It is just over 100. You recognize that the child has a fever … you give her two aspirin … and you start pumping the fluids into her. Good job! Well, maybe …

The truth is, the fever is not the problem. It is just a symptom of something else that is going on. When you finally take the child to the doctor, you both discover that the child has the flu.

The lesson: “The problem that you identify is the problem you will solve.”

Identify the wrong problem and do all the right things, you will eventually discover that you have successfully solved the wrong problem.

CLOSING …

The world is full of problems. We live and work in a process-driven world. All life is a series of steps. Some of the steps lead up to where we are right now. And what we do right now is just another step leading to where we will be tomorrow.

If you have a problem, you have to look at the process in order to identify the true nature of the problem. And it is important, of course, that you actually identify the real problem and not just focus on a symptom. When you do identify the right problem, what you will find is that the solution is in one of the steps in the process really close to the problem itself. Fix the cause of the problem, and you will eliminate the problem itself.

Try it! It really does work!

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Who Are You?

2 | January 28th, 2010 | Posted in CDF Training, Careers, Job Search, Using Information in Career Planning, Workforce

Thinking about the struggles that so many are facing today, it seems that the work we do in Career and Workforce Development should begin with helping our customers know who they are.  That has to be the first step before addressing the “Where am I going” (setting a career goal) and “How do I get there” (employment and training plan) sides of the trilogy.

Self-assessment really is the key to the “Who am I” question.  It is a process of identifying our Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA).  One often under-utlized tool in self-assessment is a transferable skills analysis (TSA).  Regardless of one’s situation…laid-off, limited work history, ex-offender, displaced homemaker…this process will help strengthen the job search and career planning efforts of our customers.

This is just one example of some terrific information available to help career and workforce professionals:  http://www.quintcareers.com/transferable_skills_set.html

We strongly encourage you to incorporate a TSA component into the beginning of your customers’ efforts to learn “Who Am I”.

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Weathering the Storm

7 | December 11th, 2009 | Posted in Workforce

We recently received a question from one person who was in a course we were teaching somewhere in the country.  At a professional level, the question was so pointed and personal that it stopped me in my tracks.  Here’s the deal.

This person was working in the public sector with an organization we had served in our own business many times over the years.  Like so many other public sector organizations experience periodically, this person’s organization was about to receive some very bad publicity about something taking place at the “manager-politico” level.  And the person was concerned with the impact it might have with their ability to deal with local businesses and employers.  Enough said!

We really had to dig deep.  The person was sincere.  And the person was not asking a “canned” question with a typical “school book” response.

In general, here’s how we responded.  We want to share it here because, if you work in the public sector and have not yet experienced something like this in your career, hang on!  There is a good chance you will sooner or later.

There are two things to consider when you face an issue like this.  If you are prepared, you can fall back on these two things if your organization gets slammed in the media.

  1. SERVICE … in this person’s case, we knew their organization well.  We understood that they provided at least a couple of “world class” services to local industries and businesses.  We knew that some of their services actually make a difference.  So we reminded the person to have confidence in the services they provide.  We did not pretend the bad publicity wasn’t going to hurt — it will hurt!  But excellent service provided over the long haul almost always trumps bad publicity in the short run.  Which leads to a related point … if you are experiencing “good times” at your organization right now, continue to refine your services so you have something “world class” to offer your customers and clients.  Not only will they love it, but it just might the thing that carries you over the hump when things get sour in the press later.
  2. RELATIONSHIPS … we also reminded this person that business is about relationships.  Money, reputation, and all those other things reflect the relationships that are developed and maintained in business.  When your organization is getting slammed in the press, it surely does sting.  But your customers and clients connect your face with your organization.  And when they know you are a good and decent person who has served them over the years and who truly cares about them, the bad press can actually cultivate a sympathetic reaction.  For us, at a personal level, when this stuff hits the press, we already know that, as we drive by offices for that agency, we will be thinking about the people inside we know personally.  We will be wondering how all this impacts them.  And we will be concerned for them personally.  Personal relationships with customers and clients that reflect an understanding of their world and their problems are stronger than bad publicity.  Even in business, people care about people.

So here is the wrap up today.

  • If you are experiencing some bad publicity now or in the near future for your organization, and you find that you still have to go out and face the public, fall back on the world class services your organization provides and the strong, personal relationships you have cultivated with customers and clients over time.
  • And if things are going good for your organization right now, use this time to refine your services so they are top shelf.  Also, use the time to establish new relationships in business and cultivate them so that you really do have “friends” out there — and not just “customers” and “clients.”

Business, whether it is in the public sector or the private sector, is about people caring for people and helping people solve problems.  It all boils down to service and relationships.  And if you have these things going for you, you can weather a storm when it comes — which almost certainly will happen sooner or later if you stay in the business long enough.

E-xcellence in the Workplace

4 | November 8th, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Entrepreneur, Professional Development, Workforce

 

The emerging “E-ntrepreneurial Workforce’ will focus on excellence.  It’s not just a matter of principle.  Excellence becomes a way of life for a workforce that has a culture of entrepreneurial activity.

The whole notion behind being entrepreneurial includes qualities like … ownership … problem-solving … vision … change … and improvement.  In an E-ntrepreneurial Workforce, the workforce still goes to work everyday like it has for generations.  But the worker, in a very real sense, owns his or her job.  That’s because a job becomes more than a collection of tasks and duties.  It is a whole skill set, complete with a unique array of personal talents and abilities. 

The worker owns those things.  He or she continues to develop them through personal development, lifelong learning, and related activities.  And the worker “sells” them to a customer who traditionally has been called an “employer” up until now.  In the entrepreneurial culture, the employer becomes a customer, and the worker is the new Customer Service Representative (CSR).

We already have a couple of “power to the people” models unfolding before us today.  We can see this model both in the news industry and in marketing.  The change was brought to you by emerging techololgies.

In the news industry, “paper” newspapers are on the decline, and the three-network evening news is no longer the main perveyor of information.  Today, you have the ability to manage and control the types of information you receive, including when and how you receive it.  A small handful of gatekeepers has been replaced by a system and network that lets you be your own gatekeeper.

In marketing, phenomena like social media are changing the emphasis of “push marketing” to “pull marketing.”  You can fast-forward through TV commercials.  You can block pop-up ads on your computer.  And in short, you can largely control which businesses get to reach you with their messages — and which ones do not.

So it will soon be with the workforce too.  The age of the man working all his life for a single company to retire with a new watch and a pension are all but over.  Instead, most of us now change jobs many times during a career — and even change careers several times over a life time.  In short, we “take it with us” … or we own our own jobs.  That is the heartbeat of an E-ntrepreneurial Workforce.

In this emerging E-ntrepreneurial Workforce, what will become a premium is excellence (or E-Xcellence).  Workers will compete for employers in much the same way that businesses now compete for customers.  They will market themselves.  They will adjust their skill sets and message to meet changing demands.  And they will continue to develop themselves personally through lifelong learning and other self-development initiatives.

In turn, employers will flock to the good workers in much the same way that consumers flock to many of the best products and services.  And they will pay a premium price to have the best — to be served with E-Xcellence.

So it is with an E-Ntrepreneurial Workforce.  Do you think it won’t happen?  You might want to think about that again. 

Already, the business climate in America has communicated that the workforce is needed when it is needed.  And workers are released when they are not needed.  What remains is for the workforce itself to wake up to its new role.  It is a role similar to the CSR in a business transaction setting.  When this happens, we are into a whole new game.  And the emerging new E-Ntrepreneurial Workforce will bring a new level of E-Xcellence to the workforce that will profoundly change the economy — both here in America and globally.

E-Xcellence trumps mediocrity and triumphs over low-paying jobs!  Our greatest hope could lie in the E-Xcellence which results from an emerging E-Ntrepreneurial Workforce.

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E-nergize Your Career!

3 | November 6th, 2009 | Posted in CDF Training, Careers, Entrepreneur, Humor, Professional Development, Workforce

One of the joys I have personally, in my career, is drawing cartoons and (sometimes) being funny!  It gives me an opportunity to actually look other people in their eyes, get in touch with something very real about them, and even hear their hearts for a few moments in time.  We are just finishing up a two-week road trip, and I had just such an opportunity in Maryland at the “Raising the Bar!” workforce conference.

One man sat in the chair across from me and told me without hesitation that he loves what he does.  According to this man, he does not have a job — you cannot enjoy a job as much as he enjoys what he does for other people.  This man had a passion inside him that had awakened his very soul.  He was living a dream and loving his life!

Then there was a lady who came to the table too.  As I drew her caricature, she told me about the lifespan of her father and her mother.  She said boldly,  “I probably have about 20 more years to live.

“That’s plenty of time!” she declared, as I looked at her face and began to hear her heart.  “But when I look back and see how fast the last 20 years passed,” she declared delightfully, “I know that I do not have a single day I can waste on things that bring me down.  No time for that!”

Wow!  Both of these people are in workforce and career development — just like many of the readers of this blog.  And both have found a way — a truth — a life — that personally energizes them in and through the work they do daily with others.  They have an enthusiasm that is unique to an “E-Ntreprenuerial Workforce.”  It could be said that they have been “E-Nergized” by passion!

Passion is the key!  A workforce that is fueled by passion can never really be surpassed by any other that exchanges the hours of one’s life for low wages.  You see, passion trumps poverty in the race for productivity!  You can count on that every time! 

What a joy for me!  As I drew those “Faces the Future!” cartoon caricatures of America’s workforce and career development professionals there in Maryland recently.  I was reminded once again of a real, heart lesson.  We need to E-Nergize our own careers.  We need to E-Nergize our lives too! 

We should not be trading time for money in meaningless jobs, while we waste away our lives, waiting for retirement.  We must live each day as if we have plenty of time remaining to fulfill our life’s purpose, but not a moment available to waste.  We can do this, but only by making a commitment to live and work with passion.  Passion flows from purpose, fuels productivity, sets priorities, and gives right direction for the journey of your life!

What will it take to put the passion back in your career?  Figure it out!  Do it!  Time’s “a wastin’ ” if you fail to do it.  But if you do touch a passion that brings energy into your life, your job will come to an end.  It will be replaced by the career — and the life — you always hoped to live some day!

You can do it!  E-nergize your career!  Get started today!  Today matters!

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E-nvision Leadership!

0 | November 3rd, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Entrepreneur, Professional Development, Workforce

We have been talking a lot about the new “E-Workforce,” and now it is time to explore some of the factors that make it unique and special. In this blog, we will talk about vision – or “E-Nvision.”

The first thing we want to do with vision for the E-Workforce is connect it to leadership. That’s because real members of an E-Workforce are leaders in their day-to-day actions. Keep this in mind …

  • Leadership does not create vision.
  • Vision creates leadership.

Put differently, people submit to authority and comply with supervisors, but they follow vision. Leadership is not the same thing as hierarchy. Vision is the substance of leadership. It enables individuals and the team to take the next step in the proper direction.

Vision is particularly important in times of change. Consider this question: When is it more essential for the driver of a car to have his or her eyes open? While sitting still in a parking lot? Or while driving down an interstate highway at 70 mph?

Of course, the answer is while moving. That’s because while we are moving, things are changing all around us! And that’s when vision is most important.

Nobody can deny that we live in times of great change. Now is the time for great vision. Now is the time for an E-merging Workforce (the E-Workforce) to rise … to come forward to really make a lasting difference.

The reason an E-Workforce and E-Nvision are important has to do with a property of vision itself. We tend to see mostly what we are looking for. In some way, this is true for all of us.

Most of each day, we hardly notice the sparrows in the air.  We rarely see the grass on the ground all around. And we almost never comtemplate the tree that stands among many trees.  That’s because we are looking at cars in traffic … or street addresses on buildings … or whatever. What we look at is what we tend to see.  Vision matters!

In today’s workforce, there are two kinds of workers. The first is the “T-Worker” or traditional worker. And the second is the “E-Worker” or entrepreneurial worker. The “T-Worker” tends to look at the tasks and the learned processes. The “T-Worker” is largely driven by a quality model found commonly in manufacturing outlets. But that is not the worker of the future.

The second type of worker, the “E-Worker,” tends to look past the tasks and processes to the situation itself. The “E-Worker” sees the problems but seeks the opportunities and solutions.

In the world today, there are countless, untapped solutions all around us. There are likely solutions at hand right now for problems that may not exist for yet another decade. But the only person who will see those solutions is the person who is looking for them. It is not enough in today’s workforce merely to see the problems, know the processes, and work the tasks. The E-Worker also seeks solutions to create opportunities for whole new horizons in business.

Let’s wrap this blog up. Here is the key. There is a new, E-Merging Workforce. We humorously call it the “E-Workforce,” and the more you are around us, the more you will see why we use the term “E-Workforce.” A key quality of an “E-Worker” is vision (or “E-Nvision”). Vision is the key to leadership in the workplace that actually solves problems and leads in new, more useful and profitable directions. The key to understand is that, all around us, there are “E-Merging” new workers with vision. Don’t squelch it. Instead, be the kind of workforce and career development professional who encourages its growth and disciplined application in the new, E-Merging Workforce.

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Entrepreneurial Farmers

1 | October 24th, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Entrepreneur, Job Search, Workforce

Let me start by saying the title to this blog is misleading.  Seriously!  I was looking for something interesting to describe what is on my heart, and I came up with this title.  But it is not really what I intend to talk about.  Let me explain.

The other day, a friend said to me, “I live in a rural area where the unemployment rate is nearly 22%.  Is there anything I can do to help the customers and clients that I serve.  There simply are no jobs here for us to place them in.”

Well, yes!  There are things you can do.  But they will require radically different ways of thinking, and “extreme  approaches” to job development.  The truth is, nothing is going to help us in America more than a good, old fashioned, resurgence of the entrepreneurial spirit!

If you think about it, most farmers have always been entrepreneurs.  They owned their own business, which was the land and the work that brought food to the family table.  They adjusted and adapted to changing weather patterns, changing markets, and changing technologies.  And they survived — and even thrived — at times.  And as long as the American farmer was functioning as an entrepreneur, America was the bread basket of the world.  The success of rural America, from the birth of our nation until only very recently, has been an entrpreneurial spirit.

Somewhere along the line, a few big plants came to the rural areas of America, and the farmers left the farm.  Oh, some stayed and cut back and worked the evenings and weekends, but for most, their main source of livliehood came from the manufacturing plant in town.  America’s farmers began to forget about their entrepreneurial roots.

But we all know that there came a time when it was more profitable for manufacturing companies to make their stuff in Mexico or China, so they closed up the plants and sent the jobs overseas.  We call it “offshore,” but it is what it is … the jobs went overseas.  And masses of people, especially in the rural areas where a handful of large employers controlled nearly the entire workforce, were left without jobs.

Now it’s time to get real.  Even though there are economic and community development professionals out there packaging the different communities of America and trying to sell them to businesses, the truth is, not many big businesses in America (or the world) are ready to dump huge amounts of capital into rural America today to create new jobs.  If we are going to create new jobs — especially in rural areas — we are going to have to go back to our enterpreneurial roots.

We have a lot of ideas right now on “how to” actually do this.  We will talk about them later. But for now, we want to point out that the types of training that will enable entrepeneurial activities to emerge and survive in rural America are technological in nature.  If we want to retrain our workforce, particularly in rural America, we need to equip them with technology skills and reignite the fires of entrepreneurialship.  You simply cannot hold a man or woman back who has a dream — a vision — the skills to make the dream come true, and a market just over the hill where there are people waiting to consume the products or services the entrepreneur is developing.  And all this can happen in rural America today!

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The New Resume

4 | October 20th, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Job Search, Workforce

In the near future, the new resume may not be a resume at all.  Gary Vaynerchuck points out in his new book Crush It! that personal brand may soon become the new resume.  What’s that all about?  Here’s the deal.

We live in a new age of communication.  Social networking, in particular, has put unprecedented power in the hands of common people.  Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr enable common, ordinary people to cultivate a following of hundreds — even thousands of people.  And they can communicate rapidly with their following.

The secret, according to Vanerchuck, is building the brand itself.  You have to find something that you are really passionate about.  It could be anything from wine to turtles — it really doesn’t matter.  You can reach the world, and what you are really looking for is people who have a similar interest — and passion!

Now suppose you have been posting blogs, updates, videos, pictures, and other information for your followers.  They love what you do.  You are, in fact, becoming something of a sensation for your particular interest group.  Then, all of a sudden … out of nowhere … you get a pink slip.  You are laid off. 

You start sending out your paper resume to dozens of human resource managers.  Some of them will actually read your resume.  But most will just file it.  And even if they do read it, it could be weeks more before coordination is done with supervisors and interviews are set up.  You get the picture.  But here is an altogether different picture.

At the same time, you tweet your friends and followers on Twitter.  Remember, they are passionate about the same things you are passionate about.  And some are in businesses that are part of the interest culture that you belong to.  You also post an update on Facebook and Flickr.  You also write a blog, explaining your situation and announcing your availability.  In just 30 minutes, hundres — maybe even thousands — of eyes see it.  Some have hiring authority.  Others are connected to people who have the ability to hire.  Still others might not be looking for an employee, but for a consultant or a partner on a project.  You don’t know - timing is everything.

So here’s the point.  Don’t throw away the resume.  They still have a place in the filing cabinet in many HR offices.  But start to get savvy about using the social networks.  And if you are a Career Development professional, start helping your customers and clients learn how to use the social networks too.  Social networks could prove to be the “new resume” in as little as two to three years.  Think about it!

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Cash In On Your Hobby!!!

2 | October 12th, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Entrepreneur

Not too far back, we wrote a blog about turning your hobby into a career.  Well, it turns out that “Gary V” likes this idea, and in fact, he has a book set to be released tomorrow (October 13) that is going to rock the economy for those who pay attention.  Let me summarize what some of the book reviews are saying …

  • Do you have a hobby you wish you could do all day?  An obsession that keeps you up at night? 
  • Now is the perfect time to take those passions and make a living doing what you love. 
  • In CRUSH IT! Why NOW Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion,Gary Vaynerchuk shows you how to use the power of the Internet to turn your real interests into real businesses. 

It goes on, we promise.  That is just the beginning of things.  Gary has analyzed this pretty well.  He makes the argument that, for the first time in history, all the building blocks are in place — mostly through the Social Networking sites — to develop a product and take it to market.  And everything is FREE.  And furthermore, the recent changes in the economy make “all the stars align” so that this could be a new Tsunami for the entrepreneurially minded.

Here’s the deal.  Gary is not just a thinker and a writer.  He spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader.  Then one day, he got out his video camera, and started filming.  The rest is history, and it is full of success secrets for the new economy that are revealed in this book.

To Gary, it’s all about personal brand.  Everyone has one, or they should.  With a personal brand, almost anyone can harness the power of the Internet and make their entrepreneurial dreams come true today.  You do not need a lot of start-up, venture capital.  It is all about “sweat equity” today.

Crush It! could become the ultimate driver’s manual for modern business.  Gary’s main tools to leverage his ideas are … are you ready(?) … Twitter and Facebook.  That’s right!  And he claims he could start a new business everyday using these tools to get the word out — and many of those businesses would success, at least to the point of adding valuable resources to the family income.

We’ve been saying it all along.  We live in an era where the everyday person can become a success story simply be focusing on hobbies with passion.  We won’t all become Donald Trumps, that’s for sure!  But hey, a rich person these days is somebody who can make ends meet doing the things they most enjoy doing in life.  We said in our last blog, “if it ain’t broke, break it.”  We plan to modify that just a little, based on what Gary V says in his latest book.  ”If it ain’t broke, crush it!”  Try it!  You just might find your success!!!

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If It Ain’t Broke …

8 | September 13th, 2009 | Posted in Careers, Professional Development, Uncategorized

I have been told that sometimes I have too much time on my hands.  This may be one of those times because  I have been thinking alot about broken things latley.  The world thnks “broken” is bad, but I have come to realize that most of the time, the workd is upside-down from the way things should be.  With that thought in mind, have you ever considered the GOOD SIDE of breaking things?

BREAK THE MOLD …

Pretty much everything is made in a mold these days.  Manufacturing processes use molds a lot.  People at home use molds for cooking and baking too.  Molds are good because you get the same thing again and again when you use a mold.  The trouble is, most of us don’t always want to get the same thing all the time.  We don’t always want each day to be a carbon-copy of the day before.  Sometimes we want things to be a little different — a little better.  And if you are like that then you need to know, “If it ain’t broke, go ahead and break it!”

  • You see, you don’t get better and stay the same (life doesn’t work that way).
  • And you probably don’t want to stay the same and just do more (you’ll just end up getting more of the same).

Break the mold and start over.  It’s the only way to get something new and fresh and creative in your life!

BREAK THE RECORD …

We all have a record.  We all have a reputation.  We all have a set of patterns that we use in our lives.  Well, if it (they) isn’t broken, break it! 

  • Break Up! … establish new relationships!  You don’t really have to lose all your old friends, but you may need to make some new ones.  Good relationships and a strong sense of community are keys to satisfaction in life.
  • Break In! … establish new ways of thinking and new ways to see the world around you!  If you look at the same things tomorrow in the same ways that you looked at them today, you will see the same thing again.  We see what we are looking for most of the time, so start looking for something new in your life –in your career — in your relationships.  The good news is that we haven’t seen it all yet.  There is so much more.  We just have to learn to look at life from different angles so we can see different things.
  • Break Through! … establish new products, services, and processes!  Today’s new car is tomorrow’s “clunker” (sorry about that … ouch!).  Be willing to re-assess, re-establish, and re-release!  Every new day is a new opportunity to be new and to do new things.  Don’t wait for a “break down” to enjoy a “break through.”

You can’t innovate unless you break a few things!  Spend your life setting records — and then breaking your own records!

WHEN TO BREAK …

Break things in your life when …

  • … there is more work than time in your life!
  • … there are more expenses than money in your life!
  • … there are more customers than services and resources in your life!
  • … there is more pain than gain in your life!

Do you want your life to be more than it is?  Would you like your life to be better?  Do you want your work to be more meaningful?  Well, break something today and replace it with something that is bigger, better, and more fulfilling.  Remember, if it ain’t broke, break it!  You’ll be glad you did!

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