These two issues probably invade the workplace more frequently with new supervisors and managers. Aside from production, morale, and customer impact, workplace conflicts created by internal promotions can boil over to impact lives after work. Stress brought on by workplace conflicts can create a vicious cycle of disgruntled employees, disgruntled spouses/parents, and even road rage.
I recall as far back as my first job at General Electric working the “graveyard shift.” Senior management promoted a new graduate from the University of Louisville business school, who only weeks before worked on the assembly line. While I never met Bill, (his last name is unimportant) before his promotion, many knew him from his previous days.
Employees familiar with Bill talked about his “kissing up” and as a “favorite” of one senior manager. I always thought it strange they all ignored Bill’s accomplishment in college. His degree never came in the conversation. Conversations always centered on Bill and the senior manager.
Senior managers never introduced Bill to his new position, or to the workers faced from a different perspective. Senior management introducing Bill as a trusted agent to his previous workers and encouraging both to a success might have helped Bill. Ultimately, management removed Bill. The missing elements from senior managers were:
• mentoring for the new position
• a description of his new responsibilities
• frequent follow-up from management
Who is “Bill” in your organization? Recent advances in personnel require management attention. A degree, skill improvement, or seniority is not always the right issues for promotion. Add to this management missing the opportunity to engage fellow employees in the organization success can equate to failure of one or both.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Newest Trend in Hair Coloring - Light Black
OK, in reality Light Black does not exist. That is unless you speak to my father who is creeping up on 90. Light Black was his reference to his hair color when his hair started turning gray. It was, jokingly, his way of not admitting age. Now there is a timely and topically term – age. Appropriately, it is time, actually past time, to talk about age and the graying America.
While reading a textbook for a college course I plan to teach soon, one textbook chapter devoted information to learning and aging. This topic is certainly valid today as politicians continue to discuss entitlements and aging benefits (I use these terms delicately only to reference the conversations from our elected officials.)
The aging topic becomes more significant to me as I move past my 60th birthday and note more and more personal changes. Changes like physical ability, drive (motivation), attentiveness, learning ability, and the big scary monster in the room…memory. That term alone scares the bejesus from everyone, especially if your parents lived/live long enough to experience the changed responsibilities and loyalty in families.
Back to the book and why my jabber will ultimately affect everyone at some point, given you live long enough. In fact, most of the following items apply across the aging spectrum when high school/college is in your rearview mirror. So approach these topics from an awareness position knowing, and realizing some may apply to you today but most certainly at some point.
1. Present new information in ways that are meaningful and relevant. Nothing new you say. In reality no, but suffice it to say many find little patience for information that is nice to have or irrelevant to the moment as they age (of course I am experiencing this more as I move along my time line.)
2. Include aids such as mnemonics, advance organizers, and checklists to help older adults organize and relate new material to prior knowledge. While many seem to think checklists are not an important part of aging, just think about all those pillboxes sold in the pharmacies. Those boxes provide users a medicinal checklist.
3. Present at a pace that permits mastery in order to strengthen long-term memory. Now I appreciate THIS item. I find my reading speed is not nearly the neither previous levels nor comprehension as rapid. I do not have “proof” this issue leads to anything specific except to say this change in older adults becomes fuel for the anxiety and stress levels in older adults.
4. Present one idea at a time and minimize competing intellectual demands. I noticed in conversations with older adults changing conversations or characters in conversations confuse them. It is not strictly an aging issue, but part of this might be internal conflicts with relating information internally then trying to wedge a new conversation in with the previous conversation/material.
5. Summarize frequently to facilitate organization and retention. Again, this issue applies to a much wider age group. In the interest of time, budgets, and production instructors fall from this practice. If our workforce extends more and more, the workforce discharged from previous experiences requiring new training and education demands this return to “Here is what you will learn, here is the material, and this is what we learned.”
6. Encourage taking notes on any item of interest. This recommendation demands more attention from instructors and employers than from student/employee. Many will say learning requires the learner’s decision. I believe learning is a dual responsibility, but I also believe the knowing influences the unknowing. This becomes particularly true in the aging process. Things youngsters do without checklists or instruction guides now require aids for older citizens.
7. Facilitate the application of new information to relevant issues and problem as soon as possible. The “use it or lose it” philosophy reigns as we age. My father can recall many things in his life, but still employs a pillbox for his medication, a calendar for his medical appointments, and were it not for my sister possibly a checklist on how to prepare some of his meals.
I have no doubt you can find alternatives/additives to this list. Given time, many could write a book simply on “how to” for the aging. In fact I would wage someone has. When I read this piece in the text, I felt a need to share and possibly prompt ideas as we prepare for the eventuality of an even more aged workforce.
Adapted from “Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn.” (Raymond J. Wlodkowski, 2008)
While reading a textbook for a college course I plan to teach soon, one textbook chapter devoted information to learning and aging. This topic is certainly valid today as politicians continue to discuss entitlements and aging benefits (I use these terms delicately only to reference the conversations from our elected officials.)
The aging topic becomes more significant to me as I move past my 60th birthday and note more and more personal changes. Changes like physical ability, drive (motivation), attentiveness, learning ability, and the big scary monster in the room…memory. That term alone scares the bejesus from everyone, especially if your parents lived/live long enough to experience the changed responsibilities and loyalty in families.
Back to the book and why my jabber will ultimately affect everyone at some point, given you live long enough. In fact, most of the following items apply across the aging spectrum when high school/college is in your rearview mirror. So approach these topics from an awareness position knowing, and realizing some may apply to you today but most certainly at some point.
1. Present new information in ways that are meaningful and relevant. Nothing new you say. In reality no, but suffice it to say many find little patience for information that is nice to have or irrelevant to the moment as they age (of course I am experiencing this more as I move along my time line.)
2. Include aids such as mnemonics, advance organizers, and checklists to help older adults organize and relate new material to prior knowledge. While many seem to think checklists are not an important part of aging, just think about all those pillboxes sold in the pharmacies. Those boxes provide users a medicinal checklist.
3. Present at a pace that permits mastery in order to strengthen long-term memory. Now I appreciate THIS item. I find my reading speed is not nearly the neither previous levels nor comprehension as rapid. I do not have “proof” this issue leads to anything specific except to say this change in older adults becomes fuel for the anxiety and stress levels in older adults.
4. Present one idea at a time and minimize competing intellectual demands. I noticed in conversations with older adults changing conversations or characters in conversations confuse them. It is not strictly an aging issue, but part of this might be internal conflicts with relating information internally then trying to wedge a new conversation in with the previous conversation/material.
5. Summarize frequently to facilitate organization and retention. Again, this issue applies to a much wider age group. In the interest of time, budgets, and production instructors fall from this practice. If our workforce extends more and more, the workforce discharged from previous experiences requiring new training and education demands this return to “Here is what you will learn, here is the material, and this is what we learned.”
6. Encourage taking notes on any item of interest. This recommendation demands more attention from instructors and employers than from student/employee. Many will say learning requires the learner’s decision. I believe learning is a dual responsibility, but I also believe the knowing influences the unknowing. This becomes particularly true in the aging process. Things youngsters do without checklists or instruction guides now require aids for older citizens.
7. Facilitate the application of new information to relevant issues and problem as soon as possible. The “use it or lose it” philosophy reigns as we age. My father can recall many things in his life, but still employs a pillbox for his medication, a calendar for his medical appointments, and were it not for my sister possibly a checklist on how to prepare some of his meals.
I have no doubt you can find alternatives/additives to this list. Given time, many could write a book simply on “how to” for the aging. In fact I would wage someone has. When I read this piece in the text, I felt a need to share and possibly prompt ideas as we prepare for the eventuality of an even more aged workforce.
Adapted from “Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn.” (Raymond J. Wlodkowski, 2008)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Work Life Balance – Your Balls, You Juggle Them!
We recently watched the meltdown governments in Europe and the crisis created by both poor leadership and management. Over recent years, we watched the erosion of the American economy and unemployment rise to near double the average over the past five decades. This is not going to be popular, but then a spoonful of castor oil was never popular either, but your Mother said it was good for you (whether you thought so or not.) Therefore, this is my spoonful of castor oil for the work life balance mentality often pushed on business owners as the cure-all for America’s economy.
As Larry Winget might say in his book “They Call It Work for a Reason,” this is not about “fun,” or “leisure time.” You generate those items, in your time with the time you have. Now that I have your interest piqued, let us review some models and then we can really discuss your responsibilities.
Before families with special needs whips out their machetes after me, let me just say those families and circumstances are, or should be, considered by law. We are talking about the impact on workers deciding someone owes them time for having a family, hobby, or part-time habit.
When I lived in Greece back in the 70s, workers essentially received a day off for a day worked. The U.S. Navy hired cooks to support our galley (mess hall, whatever the name for your dining facility.) Before arriving in Greece, I spent a week at a Navy base in Sicily and the Navy hired cooks from the local workforce as well. Back in Greece, at some point all the cooks decided to vacation at the same time. Suddenly we had two military members to feed the base of nearly a hundred Sailors, 3 meals a day, and seven days a week. While the Navy tried to resolve this issue with Greek cooks and their contractor, those two cooks worked the time required to feed our Sailors.
I am sure some would say, “Tough, they signed on.” That is a perfectly acceptable response. After nearly three weeks, the Navy resolved the contract issue and our Greek friends returned to work. The issue of work vs. time off never changed. The Navy contracting offices managed to gain assurances we would not experience another mass exodus from Greek contractors.
So, fast forward and here we are today with a Greek economy on their heels and other models in Europe following. Greece all but nailed their economic doors shut and now protesting only helped some neighborhoods collapse.
England recently experienced a similar issue with their economy. Why is this important to American workers? It might not be important at all, but businesses will soon realize work life balancing is imbalancing their books. Business and industry in America is taking another direction but at the end of the day, Europe is guiding the way.
Work life balance implores owners and stakeholders to make room in production and processes to include the employee’s family, like it or not. From what I read, newer generations are whining about this issue and demanding “compensation” in time off and benefits for their services. I cannot believe this issue is still dangling from their necks like “bling” while watching other parts of the world dissolve in economic woes. Is there a connection missing? When the younger generation looks in the mirror, are they looking at a very different breed of human? Because they are American are they feeling “SPESHUL?”
Look around at our economy and workforce today. How odd it feels to me when I see employers hiring personnel from Europe to perform work while Americans are unemployed. I visit my doctor and the majority of his nurses speak broken English because they are “imported” from Europe or Asia. Today’s employees degrade positions at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and other businesses yet more and more employees find their way into the workforce and speak enough “American” to function.
Discussions in nearly every walk of American life, denigrates Central and South American workers for “taking American jobs.” We follow the same dialogue with Asian workers. All the while, we are nursing one of the worst employment patterns in decades. All this in our world today and we scream about a “balance?” We obviously are just watching our nation slide down the same slope while blaming others for our “imbalance.” Careful what you ask for…you just might find yourself with all the time in the world sans the word “work.”
As Larry Winget might say in his book “They Call It Work for a Reason,” this is not about “fun,” or “leisure time.” You generate those items, in your time with the time you have. Now that I have your interest piqued, let us review some models and then we can really discuss your responsibilities.
Before families with special needs whips out their machetes after me, let me just say those families and circumstances are, or should be, considered by law. We are talking about the impact on workers deciding someone owes them time for having a family, hobby, or part-time habit.
When I lived in Greece back in the 70s, workers essentially received a day off for a day worked. The U.S. Navy hired cooks to support our galley (mess hall, whatever the name for your dining facility.) Before arriving in Greece, I spent a week at a Navy base in Sicily and the Navy hired cooks from the local workforce as well. Back in Greece, at some point all the cooks decided to vacation at the same time. Suddenly we had two military members to feed the base of nearly a hundred Sailors, 3 meals a day, and seven days a week. While the Navy tried to resolve this issue with Greek cooks and their contractor, those two cooks worked the time required to feed our Sailors.
I am sure some would say, “Tough, they signed on.” That is a perfectly acceptable response. After nearly three weeks, the Navy resolved the contract issue and our Greek friends returned to work. The issue of work vs. time off never changed. The Navy contracting offices managed to gain assurances we would not experience another mass exodus from Greek contractors.
So, fast forward and here we are today with a Greek economy on their heels and other models in Europe following. Greece all but nailed their economic doors shut and now protesting only helped some neighborhoods collapse.
England recently experienced a similar issue with their economy. Why is this important to American workers? It might not be important at all, but businesses will soon realize work life balancing is imbalancing their books. Business and industry in America is taking another direction but at the end of the day, Europe is guiding the way.
Work life balance implores owners and stakeholders to make room in production and processes to include the employee’s family, like it or not. From what I read, newer generations are whining about this issue and demanding “compensation” in time off and benefits for their services. I cannot believe this issue is still dangling from their necks like “bling” while watching other parts of the world dissolve in economic woes. Is there a connection missing? When the younger generation looks in the mirror, are they looking at a very different breed of human? Because they are American are they feeling “SPESHUL?”
Look around at our economy and workforce today. How odd it feels to me when I see employers hiring personnel from Europe to perform work while Americans are unemployed. I visit my doctor and the majority of his nurses speak broken English because they are “imported” from Europe or Asia. Today’s employees degrade positions at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and other businesses yet more and more employees find their way into the workforce and speak enough “American” to function.
Discussions in nearly every walk of American life, denigrates Central and South American workers for “taking American jobs.” We follow the same dialogue with Asian workers. All the while, we are nursing one of the worst employment patterns in decades. All this in our world today and we scream about a “balance?” We obviously are just watching our nation slide down the same slope while blaming others for our “imbalance.” Careful what you ask for…you just might find yourself with all the time in the world sans the word “work.”
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Cultural Biased Training - How To Avoid The Trap
Recently while reading a textbook for a future class, I happened across a term I recognized from previous readings, but in a different light. I read many books looking for relevant information for students (actually it is more like browsing.) I fear nothing more than walking in a classroom without an arsenal of abstracts, possibilities, and connections with previous events. The question becomes just what information I read and what impact it might relate to students.
Training publications, and for that matter, human resources publications tend to sort information in terms of a specific group of people. Those that can read at a “legalese” level, textbook or business style writings, and worst case a thesis level. Trainers use those documents to develop corporate training programs that eventually trickle down to the workforce. Few, if any, make changes before changing audiences. Yet, trainers put their heads down like a bull and charge forward (does that seem biased?)
A few publications come to mind when reading about cultural bias “enlightenment.” Drs. Ron and Caryl Krannich authored several books for, and about, ex-offenders returning to society and the workforce. Many analogies surfaced while reading their books. Anyone not impacted by incarceration today surely have a favored life. Myself, I have family with less than vanilla backgrounds. Krannich’s offered a refresher course in the lives of people not so familiar with life of the typical theme of returning to work. I will not rehash their writings, but urge trainers to read those books and remember not everyone in class has your lifestyle and background.
Another publication that changed my perspective includes “Flat Broke with Children” by Sharon Hays. Sharon provides a stark reminder of how and why many women find themselves in destitution with few escape routes. Either through work, church, schools, or family we find women caught up in this spiral of hopelessness. Imagine their involvement with training and every piece of information talks about life in a very different manner.
When you ready yourself for your next training event, make sure you prepare yourself to address the biases we, as trainers bring to the event.
Training publications, and for that matter, human resources publications tend to sort information in terms of a specific group of people. Those that can read at a “legalese” level, textbook or business style writings, and worst case a thesis level. Trainers use those documents to develop corporate training programs that eventually trickle down to the workforce. Few, if any, make changes before changing audiences. Yet, trainers put their heads down like a bull and charge forward (does that seem biased?)
A few publications come to mind when reading about cultural bias “enlightenment.” Drs. Ron and Caryl Krannich authored several books for, and about, ex-offenders returning to society and the workforce. Many analogies surfaced while reading their books. Anyone not impacted by incarceration today surely have a favored life. Myself, I have family with less than vanilla backgrounds. Krannich’s offered a refresher course in the lives of people not so familiar with life of the typical theme of returning to work. I will not rehash their writings, but urge trainers to read those books and remember not everyone in class has your lifestyle and background.
Another publication that changed my perspective includes “Flat Broke with Children” by Sharon Hays. Sharon provides a stark reminder of how and why many women find themselves in destitution with few escape routes. Either through work, church, schools, or family we find women caught up in this spiral of hopelessness. Imagine their involvement with training and every piece of information talks about life in a very different manner.
When you ready yourself for your next training event, make sure you prepare yourself to address the biases we, as trainers bring to the event.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
OK, What Was Your Second Choice?
Last week someone asked what happened to my dream job from high school (please be patient because that was not an event that happened at quitting time yesterday.) I am not sure I had a dream job. As I recall, I only dreamed of getting a job.
Over the years, I learned you can plan for many things, but life does not always stop and wait for your decision. Life does not ask for your opinion. If you think you are not a flexible person, just consider your dreams, your options, and your decisions. You MUST have been flexible to a degree.
Lately, I connected with high school classmates, which prompted the original question. Reading comments in the graduation yearbook, I read their dreams posted before graduation. Some dreams were reality and fixed, but most were “to get a job”, “to be successful”, and “to make a certain someone happy.” What do you think of those lofty goals? Most cannot remember those visions from yesteryear, today.
Now we focus on you. What was/is your dream job? Have you arrived yet? Are you still dreaming? Scroll back to the title. Maybe you should be chasing your third option. The world awaits your decision.
Over the years, I learned you can plan for many things, but life does not always stop and wait for your decision. Life does not ask for your opinion. If you think you are not a flexible person, just consider your dreams, your options, and your decisions. You MUST have been flexible to a degree.
Lately, I connected with high school classmates, which prompted the original question. Reading comments in the graduation yearbook, I read their dreams posted before graduation. Some dreams were reality and fixed, but most were “to get a job”, “to be successful”, and “to make a certain someone happy.” What do you think of those lofty goals? Most cannot remember those visions from yesteryear, today.
Now we focus on you. What was/is your dream job? Have you arrived yet? Are you still dreaming? Scroll back to the title. Maybe you should be chasing your third option. The world awaits your decision.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oh, the Humanity of it All!
Computer manufacturers promise the world more time off, or more leisure time. Computers were the end of failures from human error. Computers would assure more, better projection in education outcomes. How close were the earlier predictions?
We are at a juncture, and I will admit I based this article on a reading this week, where computers may be the majority in nearly everything America does, and will do. Are we witnessing this overtaking today?
Today’s leaders and managers should find concern for their position. MBAs are possibly nonessential professions, not to mention finances and operations. Consider that only 30 years back our workforce included many more employees performing the work. So, are we witnessing the evaporation of previously necessary leadership and management?
Receptionists and secretaries need to find new skills. Many office personnel found themselves out of work with electronic answering machines and automated, integrated technical systems.
The U.S. Post Office finds itself on the verge of closing. Email and other communications methods threaten the very existence of “snail mail.” Little by little, and recently more rapidly postal employees find themselves replaced by automation, and now phased out by computers.
Look around you. What production or processes involving you today require replacement by robotics tomorrow? People already question face-to-face education finding obsolescence. Television programming now uses computers to establish show selection and timing. Even the newest cars include new sensors to stop cars when approaching an object at lower speeds, removing some driver action/reaction.
I spoke with a gent a few weeks ago who bragged about replacing his employees with robotics. He found great joy in reaping considerable profits gained while losing employees and their benefits.
Is this the sign of the future? Whatever you think it indicates time is of the essence to replace your skills before you find yourself replaced.
We are at a juncture, and I will admit I based this article on a reading this week, where computers may be the majority in nearly everything America does, and will do. Are we witnessing this overtaking today?
Today’s leaders and managers should find concern for their position. MBAs are possibly nonessential professions, not to mention finances and operations. Consider that only 30 years back our workforce included many more employees performing the work. So, are we witnessing the evaporation of previously necessary leadership and management?
Receptionists and secretaries need to find new skills. Many office personnel found themselves out of work with electronic answering machines and automated, integrated technical systems.
The U.S. Post Office finds itself on the verge of closing. Email and other communications methods threaten the very existence of “snail mail.” Little by little, and recently more rapidly postal employees find themselves replaced by automation, and now phased out by computers.
Look around you. What production or processes involving you today require replacement by robotics tomorrow? People already question face-to-face education finding obsolescence. Television programming now uses computers to establish show selection and timing. Even the newest cars include new sensors to stop cars when approaching an object at lower speeds, removing some driver action/reaction.
I spoke with a gent a few weeks ago who bragged about replacing his employees with robotics. He found great joy in reaping considerable profits gained while losing employees and their benefits.
Is this the sign of the future? Whatever you think it indicates time is of the essence to replace your skills before you find yourself replaced.
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