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On June 8^th 2010, the EMPOWER Program at the University of Houston hosted their inaugural Leadership Luncheon on campus at the University Hilton. The luncheon focused on helping participants to prepare for careers in the post-recession workplace. The event was led by a panel of experts including Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC, President of People Possibilities LLC, Cheryl Smith-Bryan, Executive Coach and President of Coaching for Career Success, Kathy Rapp, Vice President and Managing Director for hrQ-Texas and Mercedes Suraty-Clarke, Assistant Director of Continuing Education at the University of Houston.

Guy Felder, Program Director for the University of Houston EMPOWER Leadership Program, opened the luncheon with a presentation about the concept of organizational flattening. One of the trends in the post-recession era that is expected to continue, he said, is a movement away from an emphasis on technical skills and toward emotional intelligence. According to Felder, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to work with diverse groups of people in a variety of situations. In the past, advancement within an organization was based on the ability to perform tasks. While technical skill is still important, often it has become secondary to the ability to motivate others and collaborate with co-workers. As a result, career paths often no longer go “up.” Modern career paths can involve constantly shifting roles across multiple departments or organizations. To read more of Guy’s views, check out his blog “Work Need Not Feel Like Work.”

Following Felder’s presentation, the panel shared ways in which you can prepare yourself for the modern workplace. The topic that participants were most interested in was awareness of your personal brand. The panel agreed that in the post-recession era, it is important to showcase not only your ability to perform in the role you have, but also to demonstrate your ability to perform in roles you want to move into. This is key in interviewing for new roles. A growing trend is demonstrating not how a prospective employee fits a role, but how a role fits them. Companies want to hire dynamic individuals who can influence beyond their title. Your title in your imagination is as important for your career advancement as the title on your door.

Much of the conversation also focused on how we work with those around us in the workplace. Emotional Intelligence (“EI”), as coined by Daniel Goleman, who wrote a book by the same name in 1994, has become an integral skill for the modern workplace. The basic components of EI (self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management) are vital to effective communication, building relationships and increasing productivity. An increased awareness of how we behave and what others need from us can easily bridge behavioral and cultural gaps in the workplace.

Participants in the luncheon came away with a better understanding of the current trends in the workplace, and some advice on how to get the tools they’ll need to succeed. The biggest theme that came across throughout the luncheon was awareness. Awareness of the roles you have held compared to the roles you see yourself in moving forward. Awareness of how your personal brand affects the role you currently hold in your company. Most importantly, awareness of how your Emotional Intelligence influences yourself and those around you.

The host of the luncheon, the University of Houston EMPOWER program, has a course designed to increase understanding of Emotional Intellegence and how it affects the workplace called the EMPOWER Leadership Fundamentals Certificate Program. People interested in the program can visit the program website.

Aubrey Bloom is a freelance writer and the Program Coordinator for Continuing Education at the University Houston. Aubrey’s passion for writing is mostly around sports. If you want more, you can follow Aubrey’s blog “A Bloom With a View.”

Futures Studies (we espouse more than one, so we reflect it as the plural “futures”) is the science, art and practice of postulating possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future. They also warn of the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures. Futurists attempt to gain a holistic or systemic view based on insights from a range of different disciplines. They challenge and unpack the assumptions behind dominant and contending views of the future. Strategic Foresight focuses on a time horizon much longer than a “typical” five year planning process. This is where the distinction between a trend and an uncertainty come into play.

A trend is what we are reading about today. These are incremental changes on the horizon that we have a general degree of certainty will happen because we can see some of the size and shape of their existence. Trends are likely to occur in the near term. Those that are the current style or “in vogue” may also not be long lasting. The problem with trends is that they prepare you for today, but do little to get you prepared for the future. And the future is where strategy takes place. How do we know whether a “trend” is an indicator to consider in our future strategy? As Olive Gatling, CEO, G-Squared BMS (www.g-squared.org), states, “When the questions become more difficult to frame around the impact of a trend because of the uncertainty surrounding its emergence, then you know you’re getting close to the realm of the future.” Uncertainty is a state of being unsure of something. And, uncertainty is the best position from which to formulate strategy. What is impossible today may be the norm tomorrow; the future is on the fringes.

Talent management is the strategic management of the flow of talent through an organization. Its purpose is to assure that the supply of talent is available to align the right people with the right jobs at the right time based on strategic business objectives. As business and human resource leaders, talent management is the most critical area to focus on when we develop our future strategy. To drive performance, deal with an increasingly rapid pace of change and create sustainable success, an organization must integrate and align its talent management processes with its business strategies. A Talent Management strategy encompasses: 

• Talent Acquisition – Sourcing, Selection and Onboarding
• Talent Development – Performance Management, Career Development, Leadership Development and Succession Planning
• Talent Assessment and Alignment – Internal Mobility and Workforce Planning

Below is a top ten list of trends currently being discussed for Talent Acquisition. Are you already addressing any of these trends in your organization? Is there a trend you are uncertain of? If you could ask a question about the future, what would you ask?

Top 10 Talent Acquisition Trends in 2010 

1. The Recruiting process is changing
   • Sourcing is both separating from the selection process and transforming itself – why?
   • Technology
   •  The Internet
   • Social media
   • Social Connection
   • Networks
   • Online applications create a barrier to top candidates – it’s time to consider the best use of technology such that it does not interfere with the candidate-recruiter-employer relationship
2. The Recruiter as we know it today will cease to exist
   • The profession is 30% to 50% smaller than it was 18 months ago
   • Buyers of Recruiting services are sourcing their own candidates via technology and Social Networks
   • The leverage is in niche/hard to fill positions where predatory/direct recruiting is required to tap into small candidate pools
   • Need to be proactive, influencing, technically savvy and adaptable to emerging work trends
   • The role of the Internal Recruiter is changing – HR Generalists are adding recruiting responsibilities to their job
3. The Job Creation Index – the job creation index is a factor, running at a negative number over the course of 2009
   • Structurally, a large percent of job losses during recessions reflect creative destruction: big companies who lay off workers in recessions downsize permanently. Jobs are not replaced at the same companies; the old jobs go away forever, and new jobs are created at the grass roots of the economy. We have to look to small business for continued job growth.
   • The process of job destruction (from big companies) and job creation (from small companies) are two sides of entrepreneurial “creative destruction.” The problem today is that we have the destruction without the creation.
   • Companies with less than 50 employees predominated in job creation during the great economic expansion that ended in 2007
4. The skills gap —defined as “a significant gap between an organization’s skill needs and the current capabilities of its workforce”— is widening
   • Demographics – declining births, retiring baby boomers, global workforce
   • Shortage of skilled, educated workers in the U.S.
   • Decline in low skilled jobs during the recession create availability of workers with skills not needed to restart the economy; recessions accelerate the trend to eliminate low-wage, low-skills jobs and those jobs don’t come back
   • Business growth is in new markets where necessary skills are hard to find or are unknown
   • Technology is replacing current skills; new jobs require education and skill beyond that of many current candidates
   • Companies are ineffective at leveraging learning investments
5. Job satisfaction is at an all time low.
   • A recent study by the Conference Board research group says that only 45 percent of all workers are satisfied with their jobs. That is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference since they began studying the issue back in 1987, when the survey showed that 61 percent of workers were satisfied with their jobs.
   • The youngest cohort (those currently under the age of 25) expresses the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group
6. Retention strategies are required that bridge ideal candidates inside and outside of the organization
   • Traditional Employee-Employer “contract” does not exist
   • Employers must engage ideal candidates on a one-to-one basis, with the ability to offer roles or projects that continuously develop and challenge them
   • Employers must maintain long term connections with ideal candidates as these individuals manage their own rise, moving in and out of corporate positions with increased freedom
7. An independent, networked workforce will become the norm – employers (flexible) and employees (free agency) want options; the only thing keeping Dilbert in the cube is health insurance
   • Free Agent workforce (Contractor, Leased, Part-Time, Temporary or Project Based) is expanding; employers need to adapt internal regulations to respond and consider +/- impact on employer brand
   • Flexible work arrangements (i.e., Telecommute/Tele-work/Mass Career Customization)
   • Outsourcing/Consulting
   • Home-based Business
   • Multiple revenue streams
   • Entrepreneurs today are creating work environments for the future
   • 24/7 Culture (global; customer service)
   • Virtual with human connection – collaborate with others in virtual and local communities
8. Candidates are smarter about who you are and what they want
   • Candidates are reluctant to accept the same conditions in which they worked – they are wary of empty promises and deferred compensation; Employment contracts will increase
   • Information is readily available – whether you’ve defined your company’s brand or not, you have a brand and potential employees know what it is
   • Top performers will negotiate – salary transparency makes candidates smarter about the deal
9. Talent management takes a tumble
   • A buzzword three years ago, “talent management” dropped off the radar when companies made drastic cuts to their talent rosters
   • Many organizations continue to view talent as a cost and not an investment
   • Besides layoffs, many organizations eliminated classroom training entirely, opting to make all training online and just “push it out” to all employees.
   • Talent will shuffle as the economy recovers; retention of top talent will be tough if the company has not invested in their employees during the recessio
10. Training and collaboration are being facilitated through virtual worlds and social networking tools
    • Internal portals will enable the use of these tools and they will replace classroom training and e-learning (i.e., IBM is making this shift now
    • Social networking will spawn just-in-time mentor relationships across borders and time zones
    • Discrete, structured training is happening less often

Sources:

1. “As Long as Small Businesses Aren’t Recovering, New Job Creation Remains a Fantasy” by David Goldman, December 17, 2009: http://seekingalpha.com/article/178568-as-long-as-small-businesses-aren-t-recovering-new-job-creation-remains-a-fantasy
2. “What’s Hot for 2010” by Kevin Wheeler, January 7, 2010: http://www.ere.net/2010/01/07/whats-hot-for-2010
3. “Emerging Talent Acquisition Trends for 2010: Are You Ready for a Roller Coaster?” by Dr. John Sullivan, January 4, 2010: http://www.ere.net/2010/01/04/
4. “U.S. Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades”, The Conference Board, January 5, 2010: http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3820
5. “At Work in 2020” by Adrienne Fox, SHRM, January 1, 2010: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/2010/0110/Pages/0110fox.aspx
6. “2009 Trends in ReView”, Training & Development magazine, December 2009: http://www.astd.org/TD/Archives/2009/Dec/Free/0912_TrendsInReview.htm#RowG

In today’s workplace, trust is a big concern as more pressure is placed on leaders and employees to deal with economic pressures and an uncertain future. Building a culture of trust expands the level of contribution each of us can make. Yet, many people are not sure where they should place their trust as more and more examples of leaders who have taken advantage of others’ trust come to the surface. What can you do as a leader in this environment?

James S. Coleman offers a four-part definition of trust behavior from the perspective of social theory in his book “Foundations of Social Theory”:

1. Placement of trust allows actions [based on incomplete information] that otherwise are not possible.
2. If the person in whom trust is placed (trustee) is trustworthy then the trustor will be better off than if he or she had not trusted. Conversely, if the trustee is not trustworthy, then the trustor will be worse off than if he or she had not trusted.
3. Trust is an action that involves a voluntary transfer of resources (physical, financial, intellectual, or temporal) from the trustor to the trustee with no real commitment from the trustee.
4. A time lag exists between the extension of trust and the result of the trusting behavior.

The strength of Coleman’s definition is that it allows for a discussion of trust behavior.

In early 2000 Development Dimensions International (DDI) completed a study entitled “Trust in the Workplace” (CLICK HERE  to read the report).

In this report the formula for trust is described as: Business Competence + People Orientation = TRUST.

The first half of the equation, business competence, is generally easy to observe and evaluate and is oftentimes the reason a person advances to leadership. You can and should readily re-tool your business competence to deal with changes in the market and in your industry.

The second half of the equation, people orientation, tends to be a challenge for many leaders to adjust and improve. People orientation is described as having three components: 1) a fundamental belief in people, 2) open communication and 3) consistent behavior. These three components are the most critical for building trust with employees.

It is our people orientation that we need to evaluate, particularly in these turbulent times. As a leader, ask yourself:

• Do I believe that people have a deep-rooted need to do a good job and that people are honest and can be trusted?
• Do I remove barriers that prevent my employees from fully actualizing their potential?
• Do I take time to explain?
• Do I know the strengths, needs and stress behavior of my employees?
• Do I take the time to engage in coaching employees so they can perform at the highest level?
• Am I consistent in my actions, decisions and moods?
• When I don’t have the answer, do I say so and find the answer?
• Do I keep my promises?

If you answered all of these questions in the affirmative, your effectiveness in people orientation is high. And how many of us score a perfect ten every hour of every day? As leaders, we are pulled in many directions and sometimes, we take our employees for granted. Make a commitment to build trust with your employees. Strive to move the needle on these questions to a “yes”. Start today.

People Possibilities provides one-on-one coaching by fully trained, certified and experienced business and executive coaches. Our coaches offer the fresh viewpoint of an objective third party who has worked at senior levels in organizations. We can assist you and your leaders to develop more effective leadership behaviors. If you would like to find out whether a coaching program is right for you, please contact us.

By Kathi Crawford, SPHR, IAC-CC

Are you confused about personal branding? Everyone’s talking about it and why it’s so important to have a personal brand and how you must communicate it in person or on the web. Do you feel like you’re behind the eight ball on this one? Trust me, you are not alone!

What is a personal brand? Simply put, it’s your total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by your audience. If you haven’t checked in with your audience lately, it’s hard to know what your personal brand is. And how can you communicate something you’re not sure about?

Did you know that you have both an external and an internal brand? What your audience sees is your external brand. Who you really are is your internal brand. Until you know who you are on the inside, it’s impossible to create and communicate your personal brand. Are you caught in the trap of “irreconcilable differences” between your inner game and your outer game. Are you afraid to let people know who you really are for fear they won’t like you or hire you or give you the time of day?

We try so hard to craft an image that we believe people want to see and experience with us. Over time, we get caught up in this image we have created and forget who we really are. We try to ignore our failures and hope they don’t come up instead of embracing them and finding the perfection in the experience. We feel that we have to “succeed” over and over again to keep up the image, yet we’re not really sure what success is in our hearts.

Don’t get me wrong, the image and perception we create is what defines a personal brand. That’s my point – if your intent does not equal reality then you have some work to do! If you don’t have a clue about what your true identity is and you are creating an image that isn’t congruent with who you really are, people will figure it out most likely before you do!

I promise you, if you can get in touch with who you really are to the point that perception is reality, and really know what makes you different, you will be able to leverage that difference in the marketplace.

Nobody can take away who YOU are. YOU are your richest asset.

Today it’s all about the B.R.A.N.D. If you want to explore your personal brand, join me at an upcoming workshop where you will learn about these key components and how to create your B.R.A.N.D. YOU Cloud:

–        Bio +/_

–        Relevant

–        Authentic

–        Noticeable

–        Differentiated

Experts agree — “personal branding” is a key to long-term career success. Join us in this workshop to find out exactly how to create your personal branding statement and the profound impact this work will have on your career.

For registration information go to: http://peoplepossibilities.eventbrite.com

Testimonials

“This was a very good process to complete. Thanks very much for your help. I learned that your Board of Directors will give you a lot of feedback! I also learned that it takes a little time to think about that feedback and come up with words and phrases that were common in that feedback. Lastly, I learned that my personal brand is a good summary of the words and phrases on the B.R.A.N.D. YOU CLOUD. It’s something I can talk about and expand upon when I’m talking to others.”

-          Larry Sherrell, Workshop Participant

“The B.R.A.N.D. YOU exercise was excellent and I believe what it did for me was to take a closer look at my recommendations and see what individuals thought about me and gave me a new perspective of myself, especially at this time of being out of a job.”

-          John Orrange, Workshop Participant