Why You Need to Create Professional Training for Experienced Workers

How to get more out of an experienced hire!

Most mid to large size firms have a training and development or on-boarding program for new graduates – from Bachelor’s to PhD’s. This program or session gets them acquired to the company, general role, departments and potential peers or mentors. This gets them on the right track and begins to bridge them from academic to work life.  But what do you do with someone joining your company after 5-10 years in the business world? How do you on-board someone going from a technical to a business role? Do you on-board someone who recently joined from an acquisition? Do you on-board a new division in a growing business area? Most companies would say no.

Creating That Golden Moment - Value Driven Work

Creating That Golden Moment - Meaning and Value Driven Work

Your career is in a natural state of entropy.

In following the second law of thermodynamics, entropy (the measure of randomness) will never decrease as the number of variables continuously increase over time. With the constant expansion of variability, a sense of meaning can also be lost. This loss of meaning in your work may cause you to only go through the motions at work, while avoiding any negative repercussions. Your job may seem like an endless stream of meaningless busywork which is constantly multiplying and being thrust upon you. Worst of all, you may feel trapped in your job for whatever reason. This may be the case for you, or your employees. Fortunately, through specific actions you can remediate the situation to reengage yourself or your employees.

Creating Happiness at Work

Creating Happiness at Work

I believe that finding what is truly important is done when external expectations, ego, fear and failure are removed.

Unrealistic expectations lead to unhappiness. Whether it is social standards, expectations from colleagues and parents, or social comparisons, these expectations cause a discrepancy between reality and perceived truths. Not all expectations are bad, as they push mediocrity, drive one forward and motivate, but that is only the case when those expectations are done inwardly and realistically. Once you look externally to compare to others, overvalue personal pride, fear failure, or fear being embarrassed, expectations are distorted in a way to create a discontent.

Young Professionals – New Employees, Same Problems

Young Professionals – New Employees, Same Problems

I am a Generation Y, Millennial, Generation We, Global Generation, Generation Next and Net Generation employee.

Young professionals are called by a variety of names, but one can be certain that the next generation of employees bring a new set of challenges and advancements to the workplace. Much research is being done to characterize and categorize the individuals born after “Generation Xers” in the early 1980’s to the early 2000’s. Investigations are being done to learn the traits and values, the wants and needs and the identity of this group. These studies are targeted to simplify and learn the similarities and differences from previous generations, how to market them, how to inspire them, how to engage them and how to relate to them. I will challenge the central issues identified, offer insight and propose solutions to answer many of the burning questions of this new workforce, the Millennials.

The HPPO Issue (Highest-Paid Person's Opinion)

The HPPO Issue (Highest-Paid Person's Opinion)

In hierarchical companies, one is used to hearing and thoughtlessly following the “highest-paid person’s opinion” or HPPO. In many instances these HPPO’s are necessary and very positive. The HPPO tends to carry weight due to experiences, vision, background, knowledge and connections. In taking one’s title off the table, shouldn't this be true of anyone’s opinion?

Steps for Accepting New Innovation

Steps for Accepting New Innovation

When advancing and testing the boundaries of innovation, one must begin by looking back at the history to avoid the same mistakes and implement the fundamental basics. In reviewing Everett Roger’s 1962 book, “Diffusion of Innovation,” I came across his five stages of accepting a new innovation: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. Upon adoption of the innovation, communication is spread in regards to the innovation. This communication is centralized around subjective perceptions of the innovation. The final communication is through the diffusion of the social system which sets the norms, change agents and the decisions of opinion leaders. Today’s innovation seeking acceptance is natural gas engines, which are just beginning the communications stage of its journey.

Hiring the Best by Using Smart Interview Questions

Hiring the Best by Using Smart Interview Questions

In recently going through a series of interview processes and in preparing to interview others, I started thinking a lot about hiring practices and the interview process. Nowadays in many large companies, there is a very structured and rigid set of questions a potential employer can ask. Many interview questions are based on HR practices and rules/regulations in regards to hiring practices to minimize discrimination. In order to limit the liability a company has in hiring someone. Questions are asked from a subset of possible approved questions. This has limited the hiring ability, but in order to hire the best, one must be able to ask the perfect follow-up questions to make sure the right person is getting in the door.

Advancing Change in the Workplace

Advancing Change in the Workforce

In analyzing challenges and obstacles at companies, I noticed that the fundamental issues have revolved, in all or in part, around change. Typically these changes are a shift of focus by management. Whether it is strategic change, operational change, organizational change, management change, product change, focus change or any other kind of change. As change is a typical and even necessary part of business, learning how to adapt to change and improve the change process are imperative in moving an your organization forward.