As the economic recovery continues, anecdotal evidence as well as formal surveys continue to point to a significant problem in today’s workforce. As an IT recruiting firm, we see this problem often as we look for candidates. That problem is employee discontent.
So why is this such an important topic to discuss? Especially coming from a company which makes its living helping individuals find new careers.
With the vast majority of candidates, compensation is one of the first topics indicated as their prime motivator. After all, most of us would like to be making more money, and think we deserve more money. But upon detailed discussion, we almost always find a plethora of other issues behind that person’s desire to change employment. And compensation is rarely the only or even the primary reason a person will accept a new job. Think about it……… why accept a new position making 5 – 8% more, when the same problem set exists at the next employer?
The economy is recovering, profits are rising, but in most cases that deep reservoir of cash for large salary increases is still not an available option. So if you have limited financial resource to increase compensation or you have already handed out raises, what options do you still have?
First, lets look at some of the most common issues we hear from individuals. Employee discontent typically boils down to individuals feeling like:
• They are under appreciated or under recognized for their contributions, or
• There is not enough autonomy in performing their jobs, or
• They are not truly making an important contribution in their job, or
• They are not learning or being challenged enough for future career growth.
Importantly, these types of feelings play across all generational ranges of employees.
If you look at Fortune Magazine’s 2010 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, one important common denominator that drives their success is enlightened and innovative management. But lets not confuse greatness with absolute size, nor being the biggest as the most successful company. The companies on Fortune’s list did not become successful or grow faster than their competition until management recognized how to motivate all of their employees to perform at a higher level.
So what is a firm to do to fend off this potential disaster of looming employee turnover? Sometimes just revisiting the fundamentals of good management principles will help solve much of the problem.
1. Companies need to refocus on the renewal of the bond between company and employee.
2. Treat employees with greater respect and trust regardless of their position or income level. You will experience greater productivity from your employees when they know you respect and trust them.
3. Be clear with company communication. Knowledge breeds confidence and clarity of purpose. Ambiguity leads to misinterpretations, rumor, or even worse – misaligned goals and efforts by employees.
4. Recognize that different employees define success differently. Enlightened management recognizes those differences, and within reason manages to those different expectations. Authoritarian approaches breed resentment and handicap a firm’s ability to compete effectively.
Posted by Wayne Rampey, Vice President, The InSource Group
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Moving Forward in Today’s Economy
On March 5th, IBM’s Chief Economist Dr. Phil Swan was in Dallas to present to The Metroplex Technology Business Council. In Dr. Swan’s role, he evaluates economic data at the macro and microeconomic level, and advises the executive staff of IBM to assist their strategic decision making process.
As you might expect, Dr. Swan’s presentation contained a mix of news about the economic recovery, and specifically some interesting data on Information Technology’s contribution to the recovery. Some of Dr. Swan’s observations include:
• On a positive note, from 1995 to 2008 the U.S. utilized Information Technology to increase productivity growth better than any other country. Better than Japan, the European Union or the OECD. In fact between 2001 to 2008, Dr. Swan attributed 60% of U.S. productivity increase to Information Technology usage.
• In 1980 total Government Debt as a share of GDP was 37%. In Q3 of 2009, total Government Debt as a share of GDP was 69.2%. This current debt level severely constrains both Government and private industry investments in areas that could contribute to growth in a positive manner.
• Between Dec. 2007 to Q4 of 2009, the number of unemployed increased by 7.6 million, the under employed increased by 5.6 million, for a total increase of 13.2 million. Over 7.5 million jobs would have to be created to bring unemployment back down to 5%. The best year ever for net new jobs creation was 1984 in which 4.2 million new jobs were created. So what does this mean? It would take 2 years of unprecedented job growth to create the 7.5 million needed jobs to reduce unemployment back to 5%
• A real time measurement of the health of the economy is the Purchasing Managers Manufacturing Index. From second half of 2008 to Jan / Feb 2010, the index increased from 42 to 58.4 in the U.S. Any number greater than 50 is positive news for the economy although we would like to see an even higher number than the 58.4.
• Increasing corporate profits bode well for rising business capital outlays. The global inventory correction (I.e. moving from limited or a no stock inventory) is turning into production gains due to the need to replenish inventory levels. This production gain is a positive influence on the economic recovery.
So what was the final message? Dr. Swan was somewhat optimistic that the economic recovery will continue with a positive trajectory. The GDP recovery however will likely proceed at a much slower rate than the past decade, and most likely at an average of between 2.0 – 2.5% year over year growth.
Posted by Wayne Rampey, Vice President, The InSource Group
As you might expect, Dr. Swan’s presentation contained a mix of news about the economic recovery, and specifically some interesting data on Information Technology’s contribution to the recovery. Some of Dr. Swan’s observations include:
• On a positive note, from 1995 to 2008 the U.S. utilized Information Technology to increase productivity growth better than any other country. Better than Japan, the European Union or the OECD. In fact between 2001 to 2008, Dr. Swan attributed 60% of U.S. productivity increase to Information Technology usage.
• In 1980 total Government Debt as a share of GDP was 37%. In Q3 of 2009, total Government Debt as a share of GDP was 69.2%. This current debt level severely constrains both Government and private industry investments in areas that could contribute to growth in a positive manner.
• Between Dec. 2007 to Q4 of 2009, the number of unemployed increased by 7.6 million, the under employed increased by 5.6 million, for a total increase of 13.2 million. Over 7.5 million jobs would have to be created to bring unemployment back down to 5%. The best year ever for net new jobs creation was 1984 in which 4.2 million new jobs were created. So what does this mean? It would take 2 years of unprecedented job growth to create the 7.5 million needed jobs to reduce unemployment back to 5%
• A real time measurement of the health of the economy is the Purchasing Managers Manufacturing Index. From second half of 2008 to Jan / Feb 2010, the index increased from 42 to 58.4 in the U.S. Any number greater than 50 is positive news for the economy although we would like to see an even higher number than the 58.4.
• Increasing corporate profits bode well for rising business capital outlays. The global inventory correction (I.e. moving from limited or a no stock inventory) is turning into production gains due to the need to replenish inventory levels. This production gain is a positive influence on the economic recovery.
So what was the final message? Dr. Swan was somewhat optimistic that the economic recovery will continue with a positive trajectory. The GDP recovery however will likely proceed at a much slower rate than the past decade, and most likely at an average of between 2.0 – 2.5% year over year growth.
Posted by Wayne Rampey, Vice President, The InSource Group
Thursday, March 11, 2010
InSource Group awarded Schedule 70
The InSource Group was recently awarded an Information Technology Schedule 70 contract by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the procurement arm of the federal government. The five-year contract streamlines the ability of Federal customers to purchase The InSource Group’s advanced IT consulting, application development, and other IT related services.
Federal, State and local agencies can obtain information about The InSource Group’s GSA Schedule 70 contract services on the GSA web site at: www.gsa.gov (search for Contract Number: GS-35F-0230W). The InSource Group’s services are offered under the Special Item Number (SIN) 132-51, Information Technology Professional Services, and the award is effective February 15, 2010 – February 14, 2015.
Federal, State and local agencies can obtain information about The InSource Group’s GSA Schedule 70 contract services on the GSA web site at: www.gsa.gov (search for Contract Number: GS-35F-0230W). The InSource Group’s services are offered under the Special Item Number (SIN) 132-51, Information Technology Professional Services, and the award is effective February 15, 2010 – February 14, 2015.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
DFW Marketplace Changes in 2010
My purpose in writing is to communicate The InSource Group’s overall assessment of how the market in the Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex is changing in 2010. This assessment is potentially significant in terms of our client’s abilities to remain competitive with respect to future hires regardless of whether they are employees or contactors; and it also speaks to the challenges associated with employee and contractor retention that have already arisen in 2010.
Without question, demand for new technical resources is up significantly. We began to see an increase in client requirements beginning in December and that trend has continued unabated through February. This is particularly true in the Dallas market where we have seen a 40% increase in requests for technical contractor resources, additionally; full time requests are also up by approximately 17%. This has resulted in many of our candidates being able to pick and choose between multiple job offers. In terms of new hires, speed of response and competiveness of compensation are becoming more critical to our client’s securing the talent that they need.
With respect to retention, the market has changed. 2009 was a buyer’s market. 2010 is shaping up to be a seller’s market. Contractors will have alternatives available to them that were not options last year. They will all be looking at two factors in assessing whether to stay or leave; rate and length of assignment.
In particular, for those contractors who received rate reductions last year, they will be looking to at least have their pre-reduction rates restored. If this is not possible, another alternative may be to extend their assignments for as long as possible. Some contractors have spoken of their willingness to trade a longer commitment for rate dollars. Please recognize that both contractors and full time employees will be receiving calls from recruiters. Retention challenges have increased; how you respond will dictate the outcomes.
Without question, demand for new technical resources is up significantly. We began to see an increase in client requirements beginning in December and that trend has continued unabated through February. This is particularly true in the Dallas market where we have seen a 40% increase in requests for technical contractor resources, additionally; full time requests are also up by approximately 17%. This has resulted in many of our candidates being able to pick and choose between multiple job offers. In terms of new hires, speed of response and competiveness of compensation are becoming more critical to our client’s securing the talent that they need.
With respect to retention, the market has changed. 2009 was a buyer’s market. 2010 is shaping up to be a seller’s market. Contractors will have alternatives available to them that were not options last year. They will all be looking at two factors in assessing whether to stay or leave; rate and length of assignment.
In particular, for those contractors who received rate reductions last year, they will be looking to at least have their pre-reduction rates restored. If this is not possible, another alternative may be to extend their assignments for as long as possible. Some contractors have spoken of their willingness to trade a longer commitment for rate dollars. Please recognize that both contractors and full time employees will be receiving calls from recruiters. Retention challenges have increased; how you respond will dictate the outcomes.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Web 2.0
How Is Web 2.0 Impacting Your Business? Harnessing The Untapped Potential
As an IT recruiting firm, we are constantly studying technology trends that impact our clients and candidates. Nothing in recent history has had as unique an impact on business as social media and the Web 2.0 world. According to a recent survey conducted by computer reseller CDW Corp., nearly half of IT decision-makers have rolled out Web 2.0 tools in their organizations. Businesses that have yet to officially implement these new tools may be surprised at the extent to which their employees use them anyway. Web 2.0 is already impacting your employees and customers. The question is: “Can you leverage these tools to support your business objectives?” In my opinion, your organization should have official plans to weave Web 2.0 tools into the fabric of its operations. However, if official implementation is not on the horizon, management should investigate the potential of these tools and at least set parameters for unofficial use.
Web 2.0 is the broad term for the second generation of the Internet, encompassing interactive tools such as social networking sites, wikis and blogs, that can potentially enhance collaboration, productivity and provide a forum for dialogue. Some of the most common and widely known Web 2.0 companies include Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and LinkedIn. Lesser known or up and coming Web 2.0 companies which may be interesting if not instructional to check out include Wetpaint, Kookyplan, Shoutlet and Bzzagent. Web 1.0 made information more accessible to everyone; consequently, hierarchical business structures were flattened. Web 2.0 allows individuals a myriad of new ways to not only find and view information, but also to comment and give input. This new two-way communication further flattens organizations and is ushering in a more meritocratic way of doing business.
Victoria Bracewell Lewis, senior analyst of e-business and channels at Forrester Research said, “As trust in established brands and media fades, consumers turn to one another for advice and validation.” To put it another way, Web 2.0 has everyone talking. This may be unsettling to some business leaders not comfortable with such transparency and free flow of information. However, the magnitude of the Web 2.0 movement can’t be ignored. Consider the growth of Facebook--150 million users expected to double in 2009. The greater risk to a company may be not adopting Web 2.0 tools and having the unofficial use grow both inside and outside the firewall of the company. This phenomenon has motivated more than one organization to officially implement Web 2.0 tools in an effort to have greater input regarding their uses and be better able to monitor and participate in online dialogue.
So what is a company not yet in possession of a clear Web 2.0 strategy to do?
Begin by setting up a structure to address Web 2.0. This does not require a major investment and can be as simple as appointing an existing employee to serve as a part-time project manager to investigate current unofficial Web 2.0 use. The process of uncovering existing unofficial uses is a critical step. Begin by asking questions such as:
• What tools are employees already using to accomplish work-related tasks that you don’t know about?
• Are employees, partners and customers sharing information online that relates to your organization?
• Are there industry forums, wikis or blogs frequented by your organization’s publics?
• Are there unofficial Web 2.0 uses that negatively impact your organization or its productivity?
Once you are more aware of the current Web 2.0 uses which impact your organization, work with employees to identify what existing applications could be effectively exploited to fill a need. Further explore options not yet widely used by employees and open a dialogue with early adopters about how they think such tools could fill a need in the organization. Implementing Web 2.0 tools at the corporate level for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon won’t ensure a benefit to the organization. In fact, implementing tools that employees don’t find relevant could create resentment and division. Take time to find out what Web 2.0 users in your company would like to see officially implemented.
Once you have uncovered an unofficial implementation that seems to have merit, or a real need that could be solved using Web 2.0 tools, implement official testing on a small scale. One of the great things about these new tools is that they are often free. Initial investigation and testing doesn’t necessarily require a major investment. Of course, the cost of implementing major Web 2.0 initiatives can be more significant once you factor in the man-hours necessary, as well as the cost of hardware and bandwidth sometimes required to properly implement these tools on a large scale. Cost alone shouldn’t preclude you from developing a Web 2.0 strategy. You may be missing a major opportunity by ignoring the possibilities out there surrounding this latest iteration of the Internet.
One impressive example of leveraging Web 2.0 is HP’s use of the blogging community. The company simply gave away 31 of its new HDX Dragon computers to influential bloggers. The bloggers ran contests to give away the computers to their readers. The campaign developed a life of its own and sales of HP personal computers jumped 10 percent in one month in 2008.
Although Web 2.0 tools effective for your business can be uncovered by examining existing grassroots uses, the implementation of effective applications requires upper-level buy in. A recent article published in The McKinsey Quarterly online journal examined the early adoption of Web 2.0 tools among 50 organizations and found that successful implementation of Web 2.0 efforts had the backing of upper management. The article asserted that although Web 2.0 application with the most value come from users, management needs to be involved on several levels including identifying applications that are effective and scaling them up. While participation technologies work best when they are initiated as a bottom-up strategy, management that is tuned in to what works and how to encourage proper use of these tools have more success in their implementations.
The McKinsey research also found that one major reason for failure of Web 2.0 initiatives was management’s discomfort with its lack of control over information. Striking a balance between freedom and control can be difficult. The article suggested that although fears are often overblown and social norms tend to enforce proper usage, managers should work with the legal, HR and IT security functions to establish reasonable policies, such as no anonymous postings.
For organizations able to strike the right balance when opening up lines of communications with its many publics there can be huge dividends. Consider the Proctor and Gamble success story. By opening research and development to feedback from outside the organization through Web 2.0 tools, the company was able to increase the success rate of its product launches from 20 percent to almost 80 percent.
Proctor and Gamble and HP’s Web 2.0 uses are dramatic examples of a much larger groundswell. Although the concept of Web 2.0 has taken a few years to come into focus, the time has long past for speculating whether or not Web 2.0 tools are a fad that will burst like the dot com bubble. It’s here, it’s real and it impacts employees and customers whether organizations embrace it or not. Shouldn’t you address Web 2.0’s impact and potential for your business?
As an IT recruiting firm, we are constantly studying technology trends that impact our clients and candidates. Nothing in recent history has had as unique an impact on business as social media and the Web 2.0 world. According to a recent survey conducted by computer reseller CDW Corp., nearly half of IT decision-makers have rolled out Web 2.0 tools in their organizations. Businesses that have yet to officially implement these new tools may be surprised at the extent to which their employees use them anyway. Web 2.0 is already impacting your employees and customers. The question is: “Can you leverage these tools to support your business objectives?” In my opinion, your organization should have official plans to weave Web 2.0 tools into the fabric of its operations. However, if official implementation is not on the horizon, management should investigate the potential of these tools and at least set parameters for unofficial use.
Web 2.0 is the broad term for the second generation of the Internet, encompassing interactive tools such as social networking sites, wikis and blogs, that can potentially enhance collaboration, productivity and provide a forum for dialogue. Some of the most common and widely known Web 2.0 companies include Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and LinkedIn. Lesser known or up and coming Web 2.0 companies which may be interesting if not instructional to check out include Wetpaint, Kookyplan, Shoutlet and Bzzagent. Web 1.0 made information more accessible to everyone; consequently, hierarchical business structures were flattened. Web 2.0 allows individuals a myriad of new ways to not only find and view information, but also to comment and give input. This new two-way communication further flattens organizations and is ushering in a more meritocratic way of doing business.
Victoria Bracewell Lewis, senior analyst of e-business and channels at Forrester Research said, “As trust in established brands and media fades, consumers turn to one another for advice and validation.” To put it another way, Web 2.0 has everyone talking. This may be unsettling to some business leaders not comfortable with such transparency and free flow of information. However, the magnitude of the Web 2.0 movement can’t be ignored. Consider the growth of Facebook--150 million users expected to double in 2009. The greater risk to a company may be not adopting Web 2.0 tools and having the unofficial use grow both inside and outside the firewall of the company. This phenomenon has motivated more than one organization to officially implement Web 2.0 tools in an effort to have greater input regarding their uses and be better able to monitor and participate in online dialogue.
So what is a company not yet in possession of a clear Web 2.0 strategy to do?
Begin by setting up a structure to address Web 2.0. This does not require a major investment and can be as simple as appointing an existing employee to serve as a part-time project manager to investigate current unofficial Web 2.0 use. The process of uncovering existing unofficial uses is a critical step. Begin by asking questions such as:
• What tools are employees already using to accomplish work-related tasks that you don’t know about?
• Are employees, partners and customers sharing information online that relates to your organization?
• Are there industry forums, wikis or blogs frequented by your organization’s publics?
• Are there unofficial Web 2.0 uses that negatively impact your organization or its productivity?
Once you are more aware of the current Web 2.0 uses which impact your organization, work with employees to identify what existing applications could be effectively exploited to fill a need. Further explore options not yet widely used by employees and open a dialogue with early adopters about how they think such tools could fill a need in the organization. Implementing Web 2.0 tools at the corporate level for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon won’t ensure a benefit to the organization. In fact, implementing tools that employees don’t find relevant could create resentment and division. Take time to find out what Web 2.0 users in your company would like to see officially implemented.
Once you have uncovered an unofficial implementation that seems to have merit, or a real need that could be solved using Web 2.0 tools, implement official testing on a small scale. One of the great things about these new tools is that they are often free. Initial investigation and testing doesn’t necessarily require a major investment. Of course, the cost of implementing major Web 2.0 initiatives can be more significant once you factor in the man-hours necessary, as well as the cost of hardware and bandwidth sometimes required to properly implement these tools on a large scale. Cost alone shouldn’t preclude you from developing a Web 2.0 strategy. You may be missing a major opportunity by ignoring the possibilities out there surrounding this latest iteration of the Internet.
One impressive example of leveraging Web 2.0 is HP’s use of the blogging community. The company simply gave away 31 of its new HDX Dragon computers to influential bloggers. The bloggers ran contests to give away the computers to their readers. The campaign developed a life of its own and sales of HP personal computers jumped 10 percent in one month in 2008.
Although Web 2.0 tools effective for your business can be uncovered by examining existing grassroots uses, the implementation of effective applications requires upper-level buy in. A recent article published in The McKinsey Quarterly online journal examined the early adoption of Web 2.0 tools among 50 organizations and found that successful implementation of Web 2.0 efforts had the backing of upper management. The article asserted that although Web 2.0 application with the most value come from users, management needs to be involved on several levels including identifying applications that are effective and scaling them up. While participation technologies work best when they are initiated as a bottom-up strategy, management that is tuned in to what works and how to encourage proper use of these tools have more success in their implementations.
The McKinsey research also found that one major reason for failure of Web 2.0 initiatives was management’s discomfort with its lack of control over information. Striking a balance between freedom and control can be difficult. The article suggested that although fears are often overblown and social norms tend to enforce proper usage, managers should work with the legal, HR and IT security functions to establish reasonable policies, such as no anonymous postings.
For organizations able to strike the right balance when opening up lines of communications with its many publics there can be huge dividends. Consider the Proctor and Gamble success story. By opening research and development to feedback from outside the organization through Web 2.0 tools, the company was able to increase the success rate of its product launches from 20 percent to almost 80 percent.
Proctor and Gamble and HP’s Web 2.0 uses are dramatic examples of a much larger groundswell. Although the concept of Web 2.0 has taken a few years to come into focus, the time has long past for speculating whether or not Web 2.0 tools are a fad that will burst like the dot com bubble. It’s here, it’s real and it impacts employees and customers whether organizations embrace it or not. Shouldn’t you address Web 2.0’s impact and potential for your business?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Instilling a Return on Investment Mindset In Our College Bound Children
How to Get Your Child Off of Your Payroll and On To Someone Else’s
Like most high school juniors, my daughter has no idea what her college major will be, much less what she’ll wind up doing for a living. And like most parents, I can be politically correct and say, “I just want her to be happy.” However, the ideal solution, of course, is for her to be happy and self-supporting. But given today’s economy, a college degree does not always ensure self-sufficiency as an outcome. As proof, talk to the baristas at your local Starbucks: they may be even better educated than you.
This issue hit home a few weeks ago, when my wife and daughter went off to their first college visit. Given the fact that we are probably talking about an investment in the $250K range, it seemed only reasonable that I give this a little thought, despite the fact that my signature on the checks will not allow me access to my child’s grades.
So I started thinking about how to help my daughter apply a return on investment (ROI) mindset to her education. A challenge – especially since her current prevailing interests in college visits revolve around shopping, socializing, texting and dining out.
I want to increase my daughter’s awareness of the importance of considering choices and consequence. In business terms, I want her to focus on achieving returns and a desired outcome. This mindset will serve her well in life, regardless of her career path. So I offer three recommendations for those of us faced with helping our children maximize their investment in future independence.
First, help your child define their expectations regarding the outcomes of their college experience. What kind of lifestyle do they hope to lead? Where would they like to live? Do they have a career path in mind? All of these things should impact their decision on where to go to school and how they will need to apply themselves during their undergraduate years. College is an opportunity to gain tools and knowledge in order to have a rich and successful life. Beginning with clear expectations in mind will help them focus their efforts and narrow their choices in directing their college experience. I am not suggesting that helping them achieve a clear set of expectations will happen in one conversation—start now, their expectations will evolve, but the process could take some time.
Second, educate your child on the reality that a college degree is not the only factor considered in the hiring process. We can help our kids by having them consider how they will differentiate themselves from the competition during their college career. Internships, research projects, multiple majors, summer jobs, team projects and charitable activities are some examples of choices they can make or activities they can become involved in that will help them stand out from the crowd. Future employers will look beyond the college degree to see what they have done that demonstrates a strong work ethic, the ability to apply themselves to a task despite adversity, and work productively as a team member. Helping your child to understand this will give them a tremendous leg up in securing a reasonably well paying job and beginning on the path of a promising career.
Third, just like they will be held accountable in work force, we should help our kids understand that they need to hold themselves to an acceptable level of performance: otherwise, they will be limiting their future opportunities. A 2.0 grade point average will not land them great internships, a place on a professor’s research project, or a space on the sign up sheets for corporate interviews. Average performance will lead to average opportunities that will seriously limit future options and most likely curtail achievement of desired outcomes.
I think parents can do more for their kids by helping them achieve an ROI mindset, than the writing of a check could ever do. By helping my daughter define her desired outcomes and understand the impact the choices she makes will have on those outcomes, I hope to help her build her own prosperous future.
Like most high school juniors, my daughter has no idea what her college major will be, much less what she’ll wind up doing for a living. And like most parents, I can be politically correct and say, “I just want her to be happy.” However, the ideal solution, of course, is for her to be happy and self-supporting. But given today’s economy, a college degree does not always ensure self-sufficiency as an outcome. As proof, talk to the baristas at your local Starbucks: they may be even better educated than you.
This issue hit home a few weeks ago, when my wife and daughter went off to their first college visit. Given the fact that we are probably talking about an investment in the $250K range, it seemed only reasonable that I give this a little thought, despite the fact that my signature on the checks will not allow me access to my child’s grades.
So I started thinking about how to help my daughter apply a return on investment (ROI) mindset to her education. A challenge – especially since her current prevailing interests in college visits revolve around shopping, socializing, texting and dining out.
I want to increase my daughter’s awareness of the importance of considering choices and consequence. In business terms, I want her to focus on achieving returns and a desired outcome. This mindset will serve her well in life, regardless of her career path. So I offer three recommendations for those of us faced with helping our children maximize their investment in future independence.
First, help your child define their expectations regarding the outcomes of their college experience. What kind of lifestyle do they hope to lead? Where would they like to live? Do they have a career path in mind? All of these things should impact their decision on where to go to school and how they will need to apply themselves during their undergraduate years. College is an opportunity to gain tools and knowledge in order to have a rich and successful life. Beginning with clear expectations in mind will help them focus their efforts and narrow their choices in directing their college experience. I am not suggesting that helping them achieve a clear set of expectations will happen in one conversation—start now, their expectations will evolve, but the process could take some time.
Second, educate your child on the reality that a college degree is not the only factor considered in the hiring process. We can help our kids by having them consider how they will differentiate themselves from the competition during their college career. Internships, research projects, multiple majors, summer jobs, team projects and charitable activities are some examples of choices they can make or activities they can become involved in that will help them stand out from the crowd. Future employers will look beyond the college degree to see what they have done that demonstrates a strong work ethic, the ability to apply themselves to a task despite adversity, and work productively as a team member. Helping your child to understand this will give them a tremendous leg up in securing a reasonably well paying job and beginning on the path of a promising career.
Third, just like they will be held accountable in work force, we should help our kids understand that they need to hold themselves to an acceptable level of performance: otherwise, they will be limiting their future opportunities. A 2.0 grade point average will not land them great internships, a place on a professor’s research project, or a space on the sign up sheets for corporate interviews. Average performance will lead to average opportunities that will seriously limit future options and most likely curtail achievement of desired outcomes.
I think parents can do more for their kids by helping them achieve an ROI mindset, than the writing of a check could ever do. By helping my daughter define her desired outcomes and understand the impact the choices she makes will have on those outcomes, I hope to help her build her own prosperous future.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Keeping Morale High
Morale, Productivity Go Hand in Hand
In a slow economy, IT departments often tend to scale back new initiatives, cut projects and just maintain the necessary functions of the business in effort to limit expenses. However, such measures can drain employee morale and be highly counter productive to the success of your department.
A critical component of surviving, and even thriving, in a downturn is to protect employee morale. Let’s face it, when coworkers are being let go and budgets cut, remaining employees are at risk of wasting a lot of energy worrying about their own job security. Here are some tips to set a proactive course of action towards maintaining employee morale and preserving the productivity of your IT department.
1. Keep the lines of communication open wide. You don’t want employees in the dark over the current status of the business, or constantly looking over their shoulder wondering if their jobs are secure. Face-to-face communications is best to keep employees in the loop, and remember to spend as much time listening as you do talking.
2. Focus on new initiatives that improve productivity, eliminate waste and further align IT objectives with the business. Looking ahead to new opportunities keeps people busy and optimistic.
3. Establish rewards for ingenuity, particularly those that save the company money. Encourage thoughtful risk taking. Nothing kills creativity faster than fear of failure.
4. Continue training and employee development programs. These don’t have to be costly. Consider training offered by vendors or training provided by your own employees.
5. Encourage your IT department to keep current. Even if software, system or equipment upgrades are not in the budget this year, staying on top of the latest IT tools to consider in the future will help employees keep their eyes on the horizon.
Morale and productivity go hand in hand. Protect the morale of your employees and you will help to ensure your IT department remains productive through difficult economic times.
In a slow economy, IT departments often tend to scale back new initiatives, cut projects and just maintain the necessary functions of the business in effort to limit expenses. However, such measures can drain employee morale and be highly counter productive to the success of your department.
A critical component of surviving, and even thriving, in a downturn is to protect employee morale. Let’s face it, when coworkers are being let go and budgets cut, remaining employees are at risk of wasting a lot of energy worrying about their own job security. Here are some tips to set a proactive course of action towards maintaining employee morale and preserving the productivity of your IT department.
1. Keep the lines of communication open wide. You don’t want employees in the dark over the current status of the business, or constantly looking over their shoulder wondering if their jobs are secure. Face-to-face communications is best to keep employees in the loop, and remember to spend as much time listening as you do talking.
2. Focus on new initiatives that improve productivity, eliminate waste and further align IT objectives with the business. Looking ahead to new opportunities keeps people busy and optimistic.
3. Establish rewards for ingenuity, particularly those that save the company money. Encourage thoughtful risk taking. Nothing kills creativity faster than fear of failure.
4. Continue training and employee development programs. These don’t have to be costly. Consider training offered by vendors or training provided by your own employees.
5. Encourage your IT department to keep current. Even if software, system or equipment upgrades are not in the budget this year, staying on top of the latest IT tools to consider in the future will help employees keep their eyes on the horizon.
Morale and productivity go hand in hand. Protect the morale of your employees and you will help to ensure your IT department remains productive through difficult economic times.
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