Staying Ahead of the Curve-Communicate

Our guest blogger is Pam Waits. Pam is an HR executive who is passionate about her work. She's very good at it! Pam is expanding her reach through writing and as you'll discover she's an excellent writer as well. Enjoy!

I love to read. Normally I read business books or fiction. But recently I took a detour and read Stan Romanek’s book entitled Messages: The World's Most Documented Extraterrestrial Contact Story.

In this book, Stan recounts his encounters of alien sightings, abductions, implants, and conspiracies. Understandably, Stan expresses fear over who the aliens are, what they want, and why they targeted him. There is no clear communication so he doesn’t understand what’s going on, let alone the rationale for what he is experiencing.

As I was reading his book, I thought that Stan’s story is very similar to many employees in today’s workplace:

· How many times have you felt that you didn’t know what was really going on?

· That you didn’t trust the messages that were being conveyed or the people who were communicating them?

· Have you ever learned important information about your company through the news or a customer and felt the company should have told you directly?

· You may not have personally experienced the feeling that you were being targeted, but I bet you know someone who has felt that way.

I doubt very many companies would take pride in comparing their workforce to Stan Romanek’s alien encounters.

So what can companies do to make sure employees don’t have a Stan Romanek encounter? Good communication! Sounds easy enough but is it? No! If it was easy, we wouldn’t talk about it so much.

I learned something early in my career that definitely helped me with communication and maybe it will help you, too. One of my former bosses asked a question in every staff meeting – “what rumors are you hearing?” The first few times he asked the question, no one was prepared. But we were a bright group and quickly started going out and talking to employees to see what was going on so we could report it to our boss. When the rumors were serious or pervasive enough, we would take action to address them. The simpler ones would be corrected on the spot – if they weren’t true. This practice helped us stay ahead of the curve.

If Stan had access to good information, he wouldn’t have been afraid, distrustful or suspicious and his book would likely have had a very different message. The same holds true for employees.

· Listen to your employees,

· Talk to them,

· Communicate information that you can, and

· Be honest with the information that you share.

It’s very easy to identify the need for good communication, but it’s not always easy to accomplish. Because we don’t listen as well as we should, important messages may have to be repeated.

Because we don’t listen as well as we should, important messages may have to be repeated. (Made you pay attention, didn’t it?)

With that in mind, I close with a quote from Robert McCloskey, an author and illustrator of children’s books:

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Moms, Birthdays, Parades & Costumes

My Mother's 85th birthday was November 16. The last "big birthday" she had was her 80th and my sister and I decided to hold a parade in our home town in her honor....of course we didn't tell her so when we showed up with a pickup truck, over-sized chair in the back of the truck and crown with a bouquet of roses, she was mortified. We had the police block off main street and all the local merchants had a little glass of schnapps for her as she drove by. The high school band played "Happy Birthday" and a huge football player kinda kid sang "When Irish Eyes are Smiling". The local newspaper came to take photos for the front page of the local paper. My Mother swore that she would never speak to us again. She did speak to us that night at dinner and explained that her reputation was ruined and her friends probably wouldn't speak to her again. They did. In fact, one of them called me a week before her 85th to see what we were doing this year....nobody wanted to miss the fun.

We did surprise her by coming home unannounced a few days before the big day. We had a murder mystery dinner and raided the local costume shop for our outfits. The party was fun...still I know she was waiting for that last big surprise. It's hard to top a parade, but this year's big surprise was excellent too - her granddaughter Maggie became engaged during our mystery crime dinner.

Happy Birthday Mom, We're already planning the 90th!!!!

Today’s Career Management Game is very different from that of just a couple of years ago. The social contract between employee and employer has been eroding for at least a decade, and the latest recession has been the last straw; companies have laid off 25-year veterans in droves.

One of my clients had been employed with his company for thirty-five years, lastly as CFO. It never crossed his mind that his job would be eliminated, but it was—and he was not remotely prepared to face the fact that he might never find another job. He didn’t have a current resume. His networking skills were non-existent. He hadn’t interviewed in twenty-five years. By the time he came to see me, he felt desperate, without a way to turn.

This is a classic example of how The Career Game is played today. My client felt that the company owed him a career because of his lengthy service. The company, in turn, felt that he was too expensive to keep and that they owed him nothing.

My client eventually went on to another CFO position fifteen months later, but not before learning some hard lessons and new strategies which we can summarize this way:

· Be prepared.

You can be prepared by staying on top of what’s happening in your industry and particularly your employer. Monitor the competition as well and follow trends like mergers and acquisitions, and customer buying patterns. If there are merger rumors within your organization check them out immediately. Waiting on the sidelines won’t position you to be picked up by another team.

· Keep your Playbook updated.

You will create your Playbook when you complete the exercises in this workbook. Your Playbook is then a guide to use and refer to throughout your career. As the marketplace changes, so will the play you’ll being executing. Your continued competitiveness depends on it! ·

· Stay in touch with your network.

Your network is your lifeline to the “outside” world. You may have a tendency to become very cocoon-like when you have a job. We all do this because we want to feel secure and just the thought of being laid off scares us. So, we forget about our network and let it die. Fight the urge to ignore your network. Set a goal to stay in touch with twenty-five of your “A” contacts. These contacts are former managers, colleagues, and search firm executives.

Today, the Career Management Game demands flexibility and courage. Flexibility is necessary because The Game changes quickly. Being flexible helps players change their game plan when necessary. It helps players change direction when situations call for it. It takes courage because we must now take ownership of our careers and our actions. Accountability takes courage. Are you ready for the challenge?

Waiting for Something to Happen

I used to spend hours waiting for"something to happen" in my life. I guess I thought I'd get a note from above saying "go write a book" or "be in Chicago in front of the John Hancock Building at 9AM-the answer will be there". I kept searching for the answer to what I was supposed to do next. I always looked for external signs-someone or something had the answer.

I've discovered it doesn't work that way-the answer has and is always been in me. I figured out that if I starting "listening" to myself....quietly and gently...the answers started coming. When I was agitated and negative or angry, I didn't get any information.

Try this....go to a quiet, peaceful, positive place in your mind. Pay attention to ideas that come to you. Notice what you're thinking about. What options start to appear? What people start coming into your life? Start asking for what you want. Ask for guidance. Remember that everything happens for a reason...nothing is happenstance -the universe is very orderly and has wonderful experiences waiting for us.

One last thought: using your personal power for positive results lifts the universe on the whole. We are all one. So when one of us contributes, all of us share!

Lessons Learned As a Job Seeker

Linda Sondgeroth is an HR professional with experience partnering with senior management of small to mid-sized companies to provide HR leadership that supports the goals and objectives of the organization.

As an HR professional I believed I understood the recruitment process. As a job seeker, I now know that I had no concept of how hard this part of my professional life would be. In the last year I have discovered that:

1. I’m not alone. I know a lot of very talented people who are in the job market through no fault of their own, and they have been in the market for extended periods of time.
2. I need a support network of friends, acquaintances and colleagues. And, I need to maintain these connections. I feel better and have a more positive attitude if I’ve been around other people.
3. I need to give my network permission to be honest. Tell me that my resume needs work and know that I will accept constructive criticism without taking it personally.
4. I need to pursue multiple avenues in my job search. The internet is only one tool. (See #2)
5. I need a professional identity. I have associated who I am with what I do for so long that I don’t feel whole without my professional identity. I’m filling this need by volunteering with my professional association and with a community group that let me practice my profession.
6. It’s not me, it’s them. When I apply for jobs and receive rejections, or worse, hear nothing I must remind myself that I’m not doing it wrong, there are just a lot of other people also doing it right. (See #1)
7. I can learn new things (new to me anyway!). My LinkedIn profile is 100%, but I keep refining it, adding connections and participating in groups. Heck, I’m even blogging!

There is a lot that’s good in my life. I need to focus on the positives; my health; my family and friends; and, the value I bring to my relationships. When I focus on the good, the loss of one job doesn’t seem quite as important. (Although, I still want another job!)
It’s not all about the job search. I need to do something productive every day, but it might not take 8 hours every day. As long as I have done everything I can do that day, it’s OK to spend time on other things too.

My hope is that the lessons learned from this job seeker experience translate into transferable skills that will make me a better HR professional the next time I’m recruiting.

Effective Onboarding for New Employees

Pam Waits is our guest blogger. Pam is a human resources executive skilled in all aspects of HR. "It’s my passion and I’m great at it!" Check out Pam's Linkedin profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/pamwaits



Have you ever been around a blind dog? I have. As a matter of fact, I live with one.
About a year ago, Ariel, one of my Italian Greyhounds, suddenly went blind from glaucoma. When this happened, we did a number of things to help her adjust to her new world.

· We used scented oils around the house on corners and other objects she might bump into, using a different smell in each room. She learned to identify each room by its unique scent. This helped her to map her environment.
· We bought her a custom made vest that read “I’m Blind” so others would know to watch out for her when we were in public.
· My husband even invented a visor for her to wear that would protect her head when she bumped into things.

All of these actions improved Ariel’s mobility and helped her more easily adjust to being blind. You could say, in a sense, that we provided onboarding to ease her transition. Hmm, see where this going?

I’ve learned a lot about easing transitions over the course of my career. Like with Ariel, there are a number of things companies can do to make the adjustment easier for new hires, aside from the standard new employee orientation.

· It helps to provide an easy to understand overview of the business and to include how the new employee’s job fits in with the organization. This is especially true for entry level positions where the candidate may not have done much company research prior to applying.

· It also helps when tenured employees know who the new people are. They can make them feel welcome, show them where the restrooms are located, and eat with them in the lunchroom. You get the idea.

· For senior level employees, you might want to provide a list of key people to meet. In some cases, providing a standard list of questions is also appropriate.

As Ariel experienced in adjusting to a world without sight, the more assistance you provide up front, the faster new employees will assimilate and become productive members of your team.
· Use “scented oils” to help them map the new terrain,
· Provide a “custom vest” so others know they are new to the organization, and
· offer a “visor” to guide them in the right direction and provide a cushion when they stumble.

The key is that you should do whatever you can to help new employees understand the organization, how they fit in, and who they should meet. Everyone will benefit from these proactive measures – including you.

When Your Ego Takes a Hit

There are several things that can happen when you lose your job. One of the most subtle is the affect it has on your self confidence. Here are a few tips to keep your ego healthy and your self confidence in tact. Ask yourself the following questions:

What do you like most about yourself?

How much do you trust yourself?

When you start doubting yourself try to remember that you've been very successful and part of that success comes because of your trust in yourself. When you start doubting you start selling yourself short and second guessing your decisions . You can become paralyzed and analyze every decision you make.

Try this exercise and keep things in perspective. Repeat these phrases several times a day....

"I am not my job."

"I am a talented, intelligent, educated person."