Education

Recently, a staff member was discussing a problem with me that was affecting morale and moreover productivity. As I listened to the issues being laid out before me I was also listening to the issues not being said. Once they had completed their tirade and given me the emotional side of the conflict, I asked a simple question. So what’s your part in the conflict? Invariably the answer always comes back to some version of “I am the victim.” Now do not get me wrong there are many times when a manager is not a leader.

The new boss had an agenda. And he wasn’t timid about expressing it. He’d gathered input from an array of people, except those his plans would impact the most--us. Our work environment became much more challenging, and I learned how powerful influencers can be.

Whether we are ready or not, the technology in HR continues to expand. For some, it has already expanded so much that they are unclear and confused as to which tool is needed for a task. Some jobseekers are still becoming acquainted with ATS (Advanced Tracking Systems), which I discussed in my October 2019 blog on how it affects resume writing for jobseekers. To the dismay of some, Talent Relationship Management systems (TRM) are now being added to the mix.

The more the workforce transitions towards a more agile and technologically enhanced entity within society, the more complex the knowledge base will be. If your intent is to be the master of your own destiny, rather than being subservient to whatever destiny picks out for you in terms of a career, then the pursuit of knowledge is the key.

Our integrity is maintained with every kept promise. If we live with unrelenting integrity, we might create a trend – in our work team, among our friends, in our neighborhoods – where others embrace unrelenting integrity in their lives. While getting others to embrace unrelenting integrity is beyond our control, if we can move the needle a bit that direction, greater trust, respect, and dignity might occur.

When it comes to working with people, one of the best to have is the ability to negotiate. Being a great negotiator will help you reach goals you did not think were possible. Especially for some positions, like Careers In Government jobs for instance, where you may interview for positions with high stakes and responsibilities. Being able to negotiate will help put your best foot forward in business, negotiate contract terms and promotions.

When I hear from my millennial clients that they are leaving their jobs it is usually one of three reasons. The first is that they are feeling bored, stagnant, and underutilized. After all, 64% of millennials would rather make less at a job they love than make more at a job they find boring. The second reason is that the workplace is lacking learning and growth opportunities to enhance their career potential. This is also demonstrated by the 64% of millennials who state that they will leave their job if they feel that there is a lack of career growth. The third is that they are seeking flexibility within the workplace.

The start of a new year is always a wonderful opportunity to stop, do a stock-take of your personal and professional life and begin to plan what that transformation for the new year might look like for you. You may even draw on the ideas in last month’s article by David Ivers entitled “Personal and Professional Transformation. The notion here, of course, is how do you plan to be the best iteration of yourself at home and at work, each and every day of the new year? However, the year is now 2020 and the second decade of the 2000’s has been and gone and a new decade has just begun.

Chances are you don’t have much choice about who your boss is, and these days, you may have more than one (i.e. if you serve on a short-term project combining staff--and leadership--from various departments.) You can save time and frustration by giving serious consideration to the approach, topics and personal agendas of the bosses you interact with regularly.

Are you a culture change skeptic? Do you have a hard time seeing how your organization’s work culture affects employee behavior, performance, or enthusiasm - so you tend to think it just doesn’t even exist?