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!

The link to the album online appears below:

Cartoons and Humor

Changes in the workforce and career development environment is our reality.  We are challenged to keep up with those changes as we are SOOOO busy serving our customers.

If you are not already using O*NET as a great Occupational Information resource, we hope you will add it to your “Toolbox”. Some of you are finding that there is so much information on O*NET that you become overwhelmed.  To help you more effectively use this website,  become a user of the O*NET Knowledge Site at www.onetknowledgesite.com

As part of the great O*NET resources, you will also find O*NET Academy.  http://www.onetacademy.com This is a great resource for staff development through webinars, podcasts, and online courses relating to enhanced use of O*NET.

One of our favorite things is the emails we get letting us know of O*NET updates and upcoming webinars.  Those keep new things in front of us! You can go to the bottom of the O*NET Knowledge Site and  sign up for O*NET e-newsblasts!

I just returned from Albuquerque, New Mexico and the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) annual conference.  It was WONDERFUL!  The conference planning folks did it again…. the conference had many highlights….workshops, speakers, exhibitors, and early morning power walk…. it was all terrific.

Conferences give us a great opportunity to learn, network, and re-energize.  Our personal professional development is critical. It is what makes us the best Career and Workforce Development Professionals that we can be.  We benefit…but more importantly, our customers, clients, and students benefit.

Look for continuing education opportunities….they are around every corner. Department of Labor (DOL) has some great webinars at no cost; google topics of interest; visit the NCDA website and read the Career Convergence Web Magazine; the list goes on and on.  And here at Lengel, we have a Business and Employer Services certification course (40 contact hours) and several short (6.0 contact hours) self-directed online learning courses too.

Don’t just be a preacher of Lifelong Learning….become a practitioner!  And enjoy the journey as you go!

The Department of Labor conducted an online survey and the following tools were recommended by the public.  They are currently on the CareerOneStop.org website under “Job Seeker Tools”.  There is always much for us to learn….see what you think of these:

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!

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”.

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.

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.

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!