Develop an Organizational Talent Management Plan

World-class organizations understand that their people are their greatest asset, and therefore pursue aggressive strategies to constantly improve the overall talent level of their employees as a means of achieving lasting competitive advantage in the markets they compete in.

Following are some strategies that your organization can employ, as part of an integrated and effective talent management program that recruits, hires, trains, and retains top talent.

1. Always Be On the Lookout for Top Talent:

Your organization should constantly be on the lookout for potential new hires, even if they don't meet an immediate, short-term staffing need. You always want to be on the look out for talented people to bring into your organization. The most successful companies all maintain a constant vigilance in their search for top talent regardless of their immediate needs. Their philosophy with respect to staffing is, they can ALWAYS find a place for these stars who have established a clear track record of success in generating revenues, reducing costs, and improving organizational efficiencies for other organization.

2. Conduct a Human Capital Audit:

To unleash the many untapped talents of the people working in your organization, match every employee's core competencies to their job descriptions. Your management team and Human Resources should always be on the lookout for the talents that are NOT being used by all their employees, as well as key areas for each employee to receive additional training and development.

3. Develop a Reward & Recognition Plan:

Nothing builds up long-term employee morale and their loyalty to their organization more than rewarding and recognizing them for their work and contributions. Many short-sighted, poorly run organizations seem to think that recognizing an employee is giving them a paycheck. They fail to recognize their people's contributions and commitment to their organization. When the economy turns, people that have been overworked and under-appreciated will leave your company. Do you know who they are? How many are your rising stars who hold a key to your company's long term success?

4. Develop a Coaching/Mentoring Program:

The most effective way to leverage the talents of your more recent hires and longer term employees is to pair them up for formal coaching and mentoring. Your less tenured employees will have their ramp up time in learning the Ins & Outs greatly reduced, and will benefit greatly from the collective experience and insights that your more seasoned employees can share. Your more tenured workers will receive the benefits of feeling connected, contributing to your organization's success, and feel respected that their past experiences and knowledge are appreciated and still relevant in terms of training your future leaders.

5. Create a Idea Generation Lab:

In order to ensure your organization's long-term success, you should constantly solicit ideas from your staff, esp. those employees that are closest to the work processes, systems, clients, vendors, partners, and other stakeholders. Create a program to actively seek ideas from all of your employees. Reward employees or the ideas that have the greatest positive impact on your ability to serve clients, create/launch new products, come up with new service offerings,reduce costs, etc. This will improve morale and employee retention as positive side effects.

6. Employee New Venture "Intrapreneur" Program:

An excellent strategy that you can employ in order to prevent your best people from leaving to start their own entrepreneurial efforts is set aside funding to have them pursue new ventures while they (STILL) work for you. This is an exceptional way for your organization to retain your top talent, while building your company's intellectual capital portfolio of patents, trademarks, copyrights while simultaneously benefiting from your people's desire and knowledge to develop new product/service offerings.

7. Leadership/Management Development Program:

Create a formal program to develop your key people's leadership skills, and provide them with the tools, resources, knowledge and skills they need to manage others for success. This may be the single greatest potential to positively impact your bottom line. Rather than having to recruit outside talent to fill key leadership roles or recruit for new managers, cultivate the talents of your existing workforce and provide them with lasting skills to position your organization for success.

8. Develop a Succession Plan:

Create a formal strategy to identify the top talent in your organization that should be groomed/prepared for future leadership and/or management roles. This is especially vital for family run businesses or organizations led by someone that possesses most of the intellectual capital needed to run your organization over the long haul. Think of Jack Welch at GE when he identified Jeffrey Immelt to take his place, Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, etc.

9. Training and Development Program:

Create a formal plan to identify areas for each employee to be trained and develop their skill sets and knowledge base. Employees should have the skills they need to exceed in their current role as well as have a clearly defined action plan for managing their long-term performance, and a clear future career track within the organization.

A final note to owners and managers...

If your people are important enough to hire, then they can and must be leveraged as your greatest asset to achieve long-term success in the markets you compete in. Far too many businesses take the approach of pursuing massive layoffs during trying economic times. This is a cop out and very myopic strategy that costs significantly more to the organization in the long run then taking care of your workforce.

Far too often organizations hire consultants to come up with strategic recommendations and one of their first strategies is to suggest layoffs. This is a surefire path towards self-inflected long-term damage. Rather, take ownership in determining how your people can be leveraged. Expand their skills, provide them with additional resources, give them a greater stake in your organization's success, challenge them to come up with solutions or make changes.

How to Find a Job That DOESN'T Exist

In today's job market with rampant unemployment, global competition, shrinking industries, and rapidly evolving technologies and business models, an entirely NEW approach to job searching is required.

This new job search strategy requires that you MUST focus on finding jobs that don't even exist. How can you do that? It's definitely NOT easy and requires an entirely new mind set as a job seeker, BUT...the results will prove much more rewarding than following the old traditional, conventional approaches that no longer work! Here's how you do it...

First off, it's critical that you match you background, values and belief system to the types of culture in organizations that would be attractive to you. It is important to note there are TWO types of culture in any organization. The first is called the FORMAL culture...consider it "aspirational." It's what they want to believe it is like to work in their company. That is what they say about themselves. It's called "spin" or PR. Take it with a grain of salt. The much more useful and instructive information is in the INFORMAL culture. You find that out by speaking with employees, ex-employees, industry analysts. What is it like if you got to walk around their place of business and just watch how people interact with each other? What kind of volunteer work do their employees do, what causes do they support, which politicians do they contribute to? This type of information is INVALUABLE. You find this by conducting informational interviews.

After you have conducted this personal exploration, you are ready to create an action plan. Target 3-4 industries and 6-8 organizations, companies, not for profits, agencies in each. That gives you a manageable search for 18-32 organizations.

Next, research everything you can about those organizations. Their key challenges, latest successes and failures, top competitors, key trends and developments in the markets they compete in. Are they publicly traded? Get their quarterly and annual reports from the SEC EDGAR website. What are analysts writing about them. Have any lawsuits been filed against them. What does their intellectual property (Trademarks, patents and copyrights) look like. How promising?

Next up...identify the person that you would be reporting to in those 18-32 organizations based on your ideal job working in that organization. Research everything there is to find out about that person. Where they went to school, the professional associations/organizations they belong to, any volunteer work they do, articles they wrote, panels they served on...everything!

Once you know as much as you can about them and the challenges they face leading the team in the organization you'd love to work in, write a script of how you would explain to them just how well you can help them overcome the challenges they face in one or or of the following THREE critical areas: 1) make their organization MORE money; 2) save their organization money, and/or 3) improve their organization's operational efficiencies, processes, systems, structure.

Now that you have a call script, pick up the phone and call them. Explain that you have done research and are in a unique position to help them overcome (list the top 1-2 challenges they face) and ask if they have 15 minutes to sit down with you to discuss that.

It won't work all the time but it will be MUCH more successful then responding to those nonexistent job postings on Craig's List, CareerBuilder, Monster, and Yahoo! Hot Jobs.

The Worst and Best Reality TV Shows

I've been thinking a LOT lately about the horrible state of affairs in America and often complain how pervasive reality TV is. I consider it a mind-numbing toxin that is dimming the collective brain cells of our human intellect. But then again, some reality TV shows make for GREAT viewing, even the ones that are PURE garbage.

So to be fair I went back and thought about all the reality TV shows that I have witnessed over the past few decades. Here is my list of the BEST and WORST of "reality" TV land. As always, these are listed in no particular order, just pure stream of consciousness. Let us know what you think. Which ones did I miss on? Which do you agree with?

Let's start with the "best." By best, I mean the most entertaining. Just like when you slow down to look when you drive past a car wreck across the divider on the highway I give you the "BEST" of reality TV:

The "BEST"
* Last Comic Standing (nothing better than really good comedy for my money)
* Master Chef / Iron Chef / Top Chef (how can they make such great food in 30 minutes with a can of mayo, ginger snaps, ox tongue and cherries...a caloric McGyver!
* Project Runway - I love it when it gets "catty"
* Dallas Cowboys cheerleader tryouts (ONLY because I'm a Cowboys fan!!!)
* Next Food Network Star
* Extreme Makeover - I love when they change someone's life in a positive way forever
* Dog The Bounty Hunter - he's a GREAT man
* Beauty and the Geek (proves there's hope for us all)
* America's Best Dance Crew (just because I like to move it, move it)
* American Idol (I love when the really bad performers get skewered)
* Cake Boss (I live in Hoboken so that's the only reason I need)
* The Apprentice (a nice case study on the most narcissistic, ego-maniacal freak in existence (yes, Donald I'm talking about YOU!)
* Celebrity Rehab - you shouldn't NEED an explanation 'cuz it's pure THEATER
* Dancing With the Stars (Emmet Smith and Michael Irvin...I'm still waiting on Troy Aikman to make an appearance so we have The Triplets.)
* Breaking Bonaduce & The Hasselhoffs - I get nostalgic for the 1970s & 1980s sometimes.

The WORST - These can also be the "best" depending on how you define BEST. Some of these make for the best entertainment value of anything on TV that's NOT created by Seth MacFarlane, South Park or the Jon Stewart show.

* The Real Housewives of ____ (does it matter which city they air this train wreck?)
* Keeping Up With the Kardashians (but ONLY because Kim broke up with Miles Austin.)
* 16 & Pregnant - This show is just plain wrong on SO many levels.
* A shot of love with tila tequila (1 & 2) - I'm all for personal branding when it comes to career and professional development. Just NOT HER!!!
* Kendra (because Hank Baskett was an Eagle.)
* Jersey Shore (can also be a "BEST." I shake my head sadly when I think of Snooki and repeat to myself..."Only in America.")
* Rock of Love (But I loved Brett in the Celebrity Apprentice.)
* Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - not all straight guys need 5 gay men to turn themselves into a catch.
* The real world - really...REALLY...it's the "REAL" world???
* Steven Seagal Lawman - he is just disgusting.
* Toddlers and Tiaras - but hey, it's real in Texas.
* Paris Hilton's my New BFF - she may just be the anti-Christ in not so subtle disguise.
* Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica (but only because I wanted Jessica and Tony Romo to work out.)
* My big fat obnoxious boss (reality TV's supposed to be an ESCAPE from reality, not a reminder that you left work and are sitting at home thinking about your..."Big fat obnoxious boss."
* Gene Simmons family jewels - I'm still upset they issued Kiss Alive II.
* Flavor of Love (sorry, it's self-explanatory)
* Bridezillas - and yet it can be instructive for any man getting ready to pop the BIG question.
* The Anna Nichol show (there should have been an intervention. In all seriousness...how sad her life was.)
* America's next top model - I watch with my wife and daughter, and scream at the TV that I want to tie each of the contestants down and force feed them a Big Mac.
* The biggest loser (they should gain the weight back then join comedian Ralphy May on tour.
* The Bachelor and Bachelorette: Hearing all the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes made me question the truthfulness of ALL my beloved reality TV shows.
* Survivor: forget all those "exotic" far away places, they should have been dropped into the sets of Mad Max, Escape from New York, or downtown Detroit.

Well, what do you think?

The Socially Unconscious Company Portfolio

Has the American enterprises sold its soul in pursuit of the almighty dollar?

Since after World War II, American businesses have been driven by a relentless need to maximize profit. In the process, they fueled generations of ammoral business leaders that have been hell-bent on market place success, while satisfying their greed. Meanwhile, over decades of callous disregard for their employees the American worker has become a dispensible asset. The general public has suffered mightily through repeated financial schemes, dangerous products, and constant downsizing and off-shoring that has produced the 21st century global contract workplace of today with rampant unemployment.

Following is a random sampling of these ammoral, unethical companies that have pursued profit at the expense of our society's well-being. Granted not all are American owned, but what they share is a willingness and adept ability to harm our society. Remember, we are only talking about America here, not the damage inflicted by busines & industry on the rest of the world.

Would you invest in these companies? Do you invest in these companies? Would you consider a socially responsible stock portfolio if it meant smaller rates of return on your investments?

British Petroleum
Exxon
Blackwater
Altria Group (owner of Phillip Morris)
Adelphia
Global Crossing
Enron
Beretta/Armalite/Smith & Wesson (really, ANY gun manufacturer)
Tyco
Eli Lilly
Worldcom
Countrywide
Goldman Sachs
Anheuser-Busch
Wal-Mart
Phusion Projects (maker of Four Loko)

What do you think? Who should've been on this list?

There's plenty of blame to go around for the mess in our society caused by business and industry.

The Golden Rule of Job Search Networking Success

In networking, it's not about who you know...but who knows you.

Think about it...if you know 10 people in your inner circle and each of those people know 50 people, then your network is actually 500 strong. Now, if you tell the 10 people exactly what type of job or employment opportunity you are seeking, then they are well prepared to mention you in any conversations that they have in their respective networks. Thus at any given point in time there are actually 500 potential conversations that may invariably lead to someone referring you for possible employment.

In order to maximize the likelihood that someone in your network can effectively "sell" you, it is your responsibility to convey to them the type of industries you are pursuing, the firms/organizations in each industry you are interested in, AND the type of informal culture that you would like to work in. By educating the people in your network to the type of employment you are seeking, they are in a better position to sell you to their contacts.

You should have a job search pipeline spreadsheet that you use to keep track of all your contacts. For everyone you meet, capture their contact information, who referred you to them, the status of your follow up with them, key deliverables or actions required, and any necessary follow up's.

If you are looking to re-enter the workforce, change industries or jobs, then it is critical that you conduct informational interviews, which really aren't interviews at all. You are researching people who do what you want to do or are in positions that you might report to them, and ask them to meet with you for 15-30 minutes.

The goal of an informational interview is to gather as much information as you can on the nature of the industry, key trends and developments, how they broke into the industry, what they love most/least about their jobs, what are the key industry events to attend, publications to read, conferences/trade shows, panel discussions you should try and attend, and who are the rising stars in their organization that might be good for you to talk to. Ask them what if any advanced degrees, training, accreditations, or skills are required in the job you are looking to break into.

Social media is an additional tool to leverage but not in lieu of in-person networking. In LinkedIn you can join up to 50 groups. Do it! Start discussions, raise questions, provide answers where appropriate so you can build your own personal brand as an acknowledged subject matter expert.

Instead of trying to be everywhere, use the laser rifle approach to networking ,not the shotgun approach. Develop a one page strategic networking plan, in which you define all of the attributes/characteristics of the person that you would be reporting to in the 3-4 industries and 6-8 firms you are researching, and then identify all the events, conferences, trade shows where you would find those people. THOSE are the events you want/need to be attending. Join as Many Meet Up groups of professionals in the 3-4 industries you are pursuing as you can manage.

As far as how to work an event, remember people like to hear THEMSELVES speak. After 20 years of marriage I FINALLY learned that from my wife. Ask them "Why are you here tonight" or "What are you trying to get out of tonight?" Use the 5-2-1 rule...it's something I heard once and is a great networking guideline. You must be able to say something VERY interesting about yourself in the first 5 seconds that gets them to say: "Wow, what does that mean?" so you can send a few minutes explaining. The reaction to your explanation should be: "That's great. We should set up an hour to meet and discuss this further. Thus..."5-2-1!" Spend no more than 10 minutes talking to each person. The goal of each conversation is to schedule as many follow up discussions as you can with people that match your strategic networking profile.

Happy Networking!

Overcoming the Depression of Job Loss

Losing a job is one of the most traumatic events that an individual can go through, and can be as devastating as dealing with the loss of a loved one. You have to deal with it by giving it its proper due and that entails going through a mourning process.

Now more than ever we as a society are faced with some very serious challenges. 1 in 4 American workers can be classified as contract, independent, or consulting professionals who are not joined to an employer on a full-time basis thus don't have an anchor to feel a part of something. The average American changes jobs 8-9 times in their careers, so we constantly have to reinvent ourselves.

Some constructive strategies to deal with the Depression that can arise from job loss are provided below.

* Be honest with yourself. Admit that your Depression exists and address it head on.

* Remind yourself constantly that your self-worth is not tied to a job.

* Surround yourself with only positive, nurturing people in your immediate network. You must cut out all of the negative influences from your life (that includes family and friends) that are sources of negativity to you during this period in your life. Explain that you simply cannot bear to have any negativity around you as you cope with this traumatic time in your life.

* Stay active! Join a YMCA, gym, health club, or just go for a 30 minute walk every day. Remaining active will help you to prevent weight gain, which leads to the next recommendation...

* Avoid overeating! Understand that we often eat as a source of comfort with leads to weight gain and thus...further depression. This vicious cycle is especially common during the holidays.

* Set daily, weekly, and monthly tangible goals for yourself as pertains to your job search.

* Understand that all people create "head trash" for themselves. That means that @ 65% of all the things we say to and about ourselves is NEGATIVE. Fight that tendency and keep reminding yourself how special you are.

* Seek counseling. If the depression becomes severe enough to be debilitating then you absolutely must seek professional help.

* Begin networking to build a network of leads for job opportunities. Go to Linked In and MeetUp, identify the groups in your area that cater to professionals in the 3-4 industries that you are interested in seeking employment in then send requests to the group organizers to join those groups. Find the key trade and professional Associations in those industries and go to any meetings, events, and/or conferences to decide if it is worthwhile for you to join that organization.

* Go back to school: Take courses that will help you develop additional skills, credentials and competencies. Seek any and all appropriate professional development opportunities to make yourself more marketable.

* Consider doing seasonal/holiday volunteer work. It will sharpen your skills, help you to expand your social and professional networks, make you feel good about yourself, and preoccupy your mind from hooking into the "head trash" we ALL encounter.

* GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! We all can be held captives to our own forced imprisonment when we choose to avoid social contact/interaction. When you are struggling with feelings of Depression, it is the IDEAL time to lean on the people in your network that you value most for nurturing and support.

The BEST Holiday Gifts for Job Seekers

This Holiday Season is the PERFECT time to give yourself or someone you know the ideal gift to help them in their job search. Here they are, in no particular order:

Membership to a health club or gym: The holidays are an ideal time to overeat even in the BEST of circumstances. For the roughly 10% of America's workforce that is "officially" out of work (the true number of unemployed is closer to 20%), Depression can set in easily. Overeating is a sign of depressed individuals seeking comfort through food. Give them a one year membership, or sign them up for their first 3 months.

Pay for Meet Up group networking events: Make them a coupon saying that you will pay for them to attend their next few Meet Up group networking events. Networking is a critical tool to add to the job seekers' arsenal. Some Meet Up group facilitators charge a registration fee to attend the events.

Bond Paper & Envelopes: Buy them a ream of 500 sheets of HIGH quality bond paper and matching standard #10 business envelopes. Throw in a roll of 100 stamps. They will need to send our resumes, cover letters, and other business correspondence. Help your job seeker position themselves for success by putting their best fut forward in their written correspondence.

Separate Phone for Business Use: Consider getting them an inexpensive phone and separate phone line through the phone company or cable company for them to use ONLY for their job search efforts. They can use that telephone number on their business cards, resumes, and leave their own pre-recorded message.

Hair Cut or Mani/Pedi: Consider buying them a gift card to their hairdresser or nail salon. The job seeker ALWAYS has to make a great first impression. A new haircut and/or manicure/pedicure will make them feel good about themselves. Consider buying them a gift card to your local spa, for a special treatment.

Work Portfolio: Your job seeker will need to display their work product, so a professional portfolio to hold their resumes, references, and other "salesmanship in print" materials is always a great gift. It may not be sexy, but it will help them build their own personal BRAND. And THAT is a gift that keeps giving.

Find Them a Career Coach: For many people the fear of not knowing WHERE TO START can be so overpowering it binds them in inertia. By paying for a few sessions with a career coach (get a personal referral, don't hire one blindly) can help your job seeker to get the focus they need to begin their search journey.

Online Career Assessment Tool: Give them an IOU coupon promising to pay for them to do a personality/value based assessment tool. Some of the better ones are:
- Myers-Briggs (www.myersbriggs.org)
- Keirsey Temperament (www.keirsey.com)
- Birkman Method (www.birkman.com)
- DISC tool for salespeople (www.onlinediscprofile.com)
- Herman Brain Dominance Instrument (www.hbdi.com)

Your Ear & Support: Being unemployed is an extremely stressful period in time up there with the loss of a family member. They do not need any additional stress or negativity around them. Provide them with a nurturing, positive environment. DO offer to help them, and give them your ear to bend. DON'T be judgmental. DO provide them with your unconditional support.

Meditation Tapes Buy them a gift card to iTunes or get them a tape of meditation or relaxing sounds. Buy them the CD to their favorite artist/performer/band.

Great Career Counseling Books: For example "Bulletproof Your Career in These Turbulent Times" by...me!
These may not be romantic, sexy, or FUN but they make GREAT gifts for the job seeker faced with finding their next job.

Have other gift ideas? Let us know.

The New Normal in America

Does it seem like everything has been turned upside down in America these past 2 years? Welcome to the NEW NORMAL. We have no choice but to get used to double digit unemployment in the 21st Century global contract workplace. This is the logical outcome of nearly 40 years of myopic, short-sighted American policies in Education, politics, and business.

Some signs of our NEW "NORMAL":

The cost of a four year education skyrockets towards $200,000 yet many college graduates cannot find work, nor can they communicate efectively either verbally or in writing.

The average American will change jobs 8-9 times in their career, and nearly 1 in 4 American workers can now be categorized as contractors, consultants, and independent workers.

Entire industries are transforming / imploding (see banking, financial services, insurance, printing, manufacturing, retail, publishing, advertising) and new industries are rising from the ashes (green technologies, home aides/health care, business continuity, risk management, sports management)

Our infrastructure is crumbling, many states are near bankruptcy, and our children are falling behind the rest of the post-industrialized world in science and math skills.

Now more than ever we require visionary leadership to steer us towards a viable future. Yet our political leaders seem more focused than ever on answering to the deep pockets of special interests.

How can we take advantage of opportunities in this NEW NORMAL?
1. Embrace change
2. Develop transferable skills
3. Lean into your discomfort
4. Pursue a lifetime of continuous learning
5. Become a networking star
6. Act like a business owner
7. Always deliver service/value to others

Greatest Sports Movies EVER

I'm sitting here watching "Remember The Titans", and I got to thinking of the best sports movies that I have ever seen. The criteria is, there has to be tremendous entertainment value, you want to watch the movie over and over, and you share them with family and friends. So, here's my list. What do YOU think?
12. Brian's Song
11. The Longest Yard
10. Heavan Can Wait
9. Rudy
8. Miracle
7. Bad News Bears (the ORIGINAL)
6. North Dallas 40
5. Rocky I
4. Eight Men Out
3. Jerry Maguire
2. Hoosiers
1. Remember the Titans

A New Strategy for Job Seekers

Given the upcoming Thanksgiving binge-fest, today seems like a perfect time to stop and reflect on some key lessons learned for the job-seeking populace.

You cannot attempt to job search using old strategies. Today's global contract workplace demands new strategies that position you for success.

FINDING YOUR DREAM JOB WHEN IT DOESN'T EXIST (YET)
Even in the best of times, no more than 10-15% of all available positions are advertised. Research shows that Monster, Career Builder and Yahoo! Hot Jobs contain no moe than 6-7% of all available jobs.

Rather than spending most of your time searching job sites, you would be much better served by identifying the 3-4 industries you are interested in pursuing. For each industry, find 6-8 firms that possess a culture that matches your values and belief system. Research as much as you can about them, and find the person you would be reporting to in the role you would want from them. Develop a script on how you will engage that person, then pick up the phone and CALL THEM. Tell them you have done research and can help them, and ask for 15-3 minutes to meet with you so you can explain how.

BE PREPARED TO SELL YOURSELF.
You have to be able to "sell yourself" like a product. To do that it is critical that you know your product features and benefits. Consider your past work experiences, your key skills, certifications and accreditation, language proficiency, software applications, experiences working/living/studying abroad, professional Association memberships, volunteer/community work, etc.

YOU ARE A SOLUTION TO THEIR PROBLEMS
You MUST be prepared to convince them how you can provide a set of solutions in three key areas:
1. How can you help them make money;
2. How can you help them to save money; and
3. How can you help them to improve their operational efficiency.

In today's global contract workplace the old ways of job searching no longer exist. After the Thanksgiving turkey day binge-fest, start thinking how you can sell yourself in a whole new way.

Our Crazy Relatives & "Uncle Joe" Biden

Quick, what do they have in common?

You know “THAT” one relative in your family that everyone is afraid to have at family functions? The ones who others think are swimming in dementia or a bit “off. The people who are not afraid to speak their minds even if it means saying those highly embarrassing things others don’t want to hear, no matter how truthful and indisputable the facts.

When a 4-year old tells you you’re fat you don’t have big bones, or are carrying around pregnancy weight for 20 years…you’re JUST fat!

Like the crazy uncle in the family that has had a “few too many” at a party and divulges deeply guarded secrets to complete strangers, they say the politically insensitive, factually true things that most other people are too embarrassed to admit.

As we commemorate 9/11…now more than ever our country could truly benefit from that same straight talk, damn the consequences discourse if we REALLY going to turn around this great American train wreck.

For 40 years we’ve allowed our captains of industry and Wall Street tycoons to amass huge fortunes, at the expense of the American middle class. Decades of lack of thought leadership have led to a higher education system that most Americans can’t afford, and does a horrible job of preparing graduates for success. Our two-party political system see-saws back and forth between a constant power struggle with both parties incapable of working together for the greater good of our citizenry.
America has been in a 20-year “Holy War” between the Judeo-Christian path aligned on one side and Islam on the other.

Thoughtful, sensitive dialog has given way to vitriol and close-minded hatred. The recent furor over burning Korans and establishing a mosque at Ground Zero are flash points that have exposed this deep wound that has not healed.

Small businesses (500 or fewer employees) have historically created 95% of all new jobs in America. In these economic times, our government is doing nothing to help small business owners grow. We have allowed our banks, insurance, and financial institutions to rob us blind. Our large corporations have outsourced and off-shored nearly all of our American industrial competitive advantage. We cannot create enough jobs to support our society even as family life savings are being worn away.

This is a call for all those “crazy Uncle Joe Biden” types who are not afraid to ruffle feathers by sparking frank and candid discussions about the course we have been on since after World War II, and the way for America to regain its “MOJO.”

Where are those great public works projects. Why not return to glory days past when this Nation built things? What about that dashing Yankee spirit driving home new innovation and forging a path towards new industries?


Where are the Ralph Naders, Craig Venters, Howard Deans, and H. Ross Perots when we need a leaders who exhibit creative thinking to challenge our conventional thinking more than ever before?

What IS crazy? Following the same failed behaviors that have gotten us into this mess i nthe first place.

The summer may almost be over, but given the awful state of the economy, the job market continues to falter, and there is NOTHING good on TV, NOW is a GREAT time to lose ourselves in the clssics! I submit for your viewing pleasure, my personal "TOP 10" list (in no particular order) of the greatest all-time films that many people I know have NOT seen. What are yours?

Breaker Morant

Gallipoli

Mad Max

Eye of the Needle

Ordinary People

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape



One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

The China Syndrome

The Manchurian Candidate

12 Angry Men

What "Social Media" REALLY Means

No matter where you are or what you're doing, we're constantly being bombarded with the importance of "social media" and "social networking." But, what does it all really mean? And how do you use it to your benefit in your every day life, whether finding a service provider, searching for a job, finding new clients, starting a career, making contacts in your personal and professional lives....how do you actually "DO IT?"

First off, it's important to understand that social media and social networking is all about making relevant contacts ONLINE to build a relevant community for whatever your ultimate purposes are.

For example, if you want to build a social network for keeping in touch with friends or family, finding a spouse/mate, or building "contacts" you would create a profile/register with social networking sites like Facebook (www.facebook.com), Unyk (www.Unyk.com), MySpace, Stumbleupon (www.Stumbleupon.com),Friendster, etc.

If your goal is to create a business/profesional network of contacts, then you create profiles in "business" oriented sites like LinkedIn, Vox, MeetUp, Bizpreneur, TakingItGlobal, 43Things,etc.

In either scenario, your goal is to build an online BRAND. You are creating and projecting an image of yourself as a product or service to deliver a set of solutions. Branding is all about making a promise with your networks to deliver a consistent experience that is invaluable, unique, and memorable - consider it your own personal marketing campaign to establish and maintain your USP...Unique Selling Proposition.

But you also need to be seen as a subject matter expert to build your ONLINE credit. So, that means finding people in your industries or Associations of peers, and "hanging out" where they do online. Follow the most popular bloggers in the industries you're interested in, post comments on their blogs and discussions, start your own discussions in LinkedIn, form Groups of your own, or start groups in MeetUp.

But wait...there's more! You want to be engaged in as many areas as possible, so you also want to research the Forums/Groups that are populated with people you want to meet. You can do that by joining all relevant groups in Yahoo(https://groups.yahoo.com) and Google (https://groups.google.com).

Before you begin registering on these sites, you'll need to create a comprehensive list of all the characteristics/key areas you want to use to define yourself. For example, if you are working on expanding your professional network using online media, you use all the combintations of relevant keywords that define you. Using myself as an example, I enter terms like career coach, career counseling, busienss coach, busiensscoaching, etc. when I create my online social network site profiles. Be sure to use all the phrases and all combinations of terms that define you.

You can ask people you worked for/with to give you recommendations to build the relevance of your professional profiles. Be sure to build the size of your network by expanding the number of people you invite to join you in your networks.

But it goes further. If you are a business owner, consultant or solo practitioner, you should be blogging on a regular weekly basis, have your own website, connect your blog with your website, and Tweet.

Social media ALSO requies you to apply these branding/marketing atrategies with your off-line or personal networking strategies. Again, with branding yourself it's all about being consistent.

My partner Sherley Duncan of GoldPlaceNYC says that using social media is like twirling in a circle and wherever you stop, you are opening doors to your personal and professional self ONLINE. It's a great metaphor.

My Year-long Ordeal With the GSA

This is a story of pain, suffering, persistence, and ultimately...SUCCESS...well, of a sort!

Last July, I decided that I wanted to sell my training and professional development, and my business coaching services to the U.S. Government. The Government is supposed to have all this money, right? So why shouldn't I try to help train their people, and profit in the exchange?

First off, to sell "ANYTHING" to our Government, you have to submit what's called a solicitation (kind of like a proposal.) There are soliitations for hundreds if not thousands of products & services. In order to sell to the Government, you FIRST need to have certain things. You have t have been in operation as a business for 24 months. You need to be able to report two years' worth of financial performance for your business.

You also have to have your business registered with your state and have a taxpayer identification number. Next up, you also need a Dun & Bradstreet DUNS number (no worries, that's FREE.) Go to http://www.dnb.com.

So, it takes me MONTHS to get through the process of completing ALL of the written documents (imagine pulling your lower lip over the back of your head) struggling the entire way. There is no one to walk you through the process. You have to read the hundreds of pages worth of instructions yourself. There are no Cliff Notes or little yellow book: "Selling to the U.S. Government For Dummies."

After sbmitting my 25-page application last July, I received a rejection letter indicating the MANY areas that I incorrectly answered or failed to provide and information on.

So, being a glutton for punishment, I go back and rewrite the entire document (now approximately 50 pages LONG) and send it certified mail to the corrct GSA contract administrator in early July, 2010. Somehow, the document gets LOST on their end. I am informed that it really doesn't matter that they lost it, since as of July, 2010 all solicitations can only be submitted ONLINE.


About to give up, I get a call a few weeks ago from my GSA contractor that he has located my solicitation (sitting on a fellow staffer's desk). My GSA guy Joe (his real name) reviewed it, and gave me invaluable insights into additional areas I needed to fix. If not for Joe, I'd be DEAD!

I spend nearly a month completing it then save the document (now @ 100 pages)as a PDF then go to the website (https://eoffer.gsa.gov) to upload it. Turns out in order to send anything to the Government electronically, you need a digital certificate to authenticate who you are. So, I now have to pay $200 for the certificate, but in for a penny, in for a pound (of flesh!)

I get this electronic digital certificate a few weeks later, save all the documents then I go back to the website and hit another wall. For some reason they have me attempting to file the wrong solicitation - it's not for the right services I want to sell. After a half day calling their "HOTLINE" where I speak with a moron "Service Rep" who accuses ME of not following directions since they cannot answer my questions, I get a Supervisor that actually DOES know what she's doing. I finally get all my issues resolved.

So, as of 12:55PM Eastern standard time on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 I have now officially submitted a request to sell my services to the Government.

I even received an emal confirmation!

Can a rejection notification be FAR behind? STAY TUNED...

John Lennon's Song "IMAGINE"

Now more than ever, we as a society need to start thinking like this...

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Great Resources for Biz Owners & Entrepreneurs

Following are useful resources for businessleaders, entreprenuers, professionals interested in starting their own business or executives looking for additional support:

1) Business Ideas
a. www.business-idea.com
b. www.coolbusinessideas.com

2) Women & Minorities
a. www.wbenc.org
b. www.NAWBO.org
c. www.sba8a.com

3) Industry Research:
a. http://forum.researchinfo.com
b. http://business.statelibrary.sc.gov/images/6/65/Business_Research_Workshop_Resource_List-SC.pdf

4) Business Resources:
a. Market Research
b. MapStat
c. www.BusinessBalls.com
d. www.timethoughts.com/goalsetting/vision-statements.htm

5) Customer Research/Surveys:
a. Zoomerang
b. Survey Monkey

6) Develop Strategic Plans, Business Plans & Financial Statements
a. NYC Business Solutions Center (SEEDCo): www.seedco.org
b. Small Business Development Centers
c. SCORE: www.score.org
d. http://articles.bplans.com/category/writing-a-business-plan
e. www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html
f. www.onepagebusinessplan.com/about.html
g. www.ehow.com/how_4421284_format-income-statement.html
h. http://entrepreneurs.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_create_an_income_statement

7) General Management
a. www.businessmanagementdaily.com
b. American Management Assn.

8) Marketing & Product Development:
a. www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82498.html
b. www.persuasivebrands.com/showpagecontent.aspx?pagename=Brand_Definition
c. http://resources.bnet.com/topic/product+development.html
d. www.productdevelopmentstrategies.com/blog
e. www.slideshare.net/nusantara99/new-product-development-strategy
f. www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/managing-products
g. http://resources.bnet.com/topic/product+life+cycle.html
h. www.websitemarketingplan.com
i. American Marketing Assn.
j. Direct Marketing Assn.
k. Business Marketing Assn.

9) General Business Information
a. US Small Business Administration
b. National Business Information Clearinghouse
c. Microsoft Small Biz Ctr: www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/hub.mspx
d. CNN Money - http://smallbusiness.blogs.cnnmoney.cnn.com

10) Social Media
a. Mashable
b. SocialMediaGovernance.com

11) Entrepreneurial Pursuits
a. www.Inc.com
b. www.myownbusiness.org
c. www.Entrepreneur.com
d. www.Entrepreneurship.org
e. Smart Entrepreneur - www.smartentrepreneur.net
f. Entrepreneur Week: www.nycentweek.com
g. www.psw-ny.com/documents/WP1-BeforeNegotiations-031307.pdf
h. www.psw-ny.com/documents/WP4-StartUpMap-063008F.pdf
i. www.psw-ny.com/documents/PDF-WP3-InvestableBusCase-092506F.pdf
j. http://blog.entrepreneur.com
k. www.entrepreneurship.org/PolicyForum/Blog/post/2010/01/28/Tapping-your-
Entrepreneurial-IQ.aspx
l. www.elientrepreneur.com

12) Franchising
a. International Franchising Assn. www.franchise.org
b. www.masterfranchisewealth.com/4436.html
c. IFA Annual Conference - www.franchise.org/convention.aspx

13) Networking:
a. MeetUp.com
b. LinkedIn.com
c. National Small Biz Assn: www.nsba.biz
d. Chambers of Commerce
e. Rotary Clubs
f. Kiwanis Clubs
g. Twitter
h. StumbleUpon
i. FourSquare
j. MySpace
k. Delicious
l. Digg

14) Investors
a. www.youngstartup.com
b. NY Angels: www.newyorkangels.com
c. LI Angels: http://liangels.angelgroups.net

15) Business Incubators (NY fous)
b. Biz. Incubator Assn. of NY State: http://bianys.com
c. Brooklyn Biotech: http://research.downstate.edu/incubator.htm
d. NYC BioScience Initiative: www.nycbiotech.org/east_river.html
e. LI High Tech Incubator: http://www.lihti.org
f. Your local atrea Colleges & Universities

What resources would you recommend?

Sell Yourself for Career Success

Build Your Personal Brand: A brand is something that is truly memorable, unique, and invaluable. What is your personal BRAND? HINT – it’s not a job title or functional area you worked in for most of your career. When you are competing with thousands of other job seekers with similar backgrounds, you MUST be able to set yourself apart through your USP.

Find your DREAM JOB: Align your Passions and Strengths: the areas that overlap between what you are best at and what you are most passionate about constitute the fertile field of a potential DREAM JOB!

Learn to sell yourself in 3-5 seconds during networking events as a set of 3-4 key bullet points that highlight your USP – unique selling proposition.

Develop a strategic networking plan: Identify who the person is that you would report to in your dream job, find out where they congregate in-person and online, and get yourself “in-front” of them.

The Marketing 5Ps of YOU: sell yourself using the traditional marketer 5-P mix of product (your features & benefits), price (know your worth), place (getting yourself in front of the right people (develop a strategic networking plan), promotion (how to sell yourself as a BRAND using your USP and Marketing 5Ps), and your packaging (dress for success.)

Develop your personal marketing plan including your core competencies, 3-4 ideal industries, 6-8 target firms in each of those industries (18-32 organizations you should be proactively targeting at any ONE point in time), your ideal employer culture with attributes, your ideal work locations.

Identify your personal product: the product of YOU is the comprehensive set of features and benefits including: your collective past & present work and life experiences, exposure to different cultures, experiences travelling and/or living/studying abroad, your subject matter areas that you studied in High School and college/University, certifications, training, accreditations, professional affiliations, volunteer work…EVERYTHING that makes you the person you are.

Get more exposure for yourself online by blogging, posting comments in discussions your peers and potential bosses are contributing to, submit articles to all of the relevant publications being read by people in the industries you want to target and potential employers, start groups in Meet Up and LinkedIn comprised of professionals that share your career objectives and interests.

What do you think?

When Did America Officially Sell It's Soul?

As a career coach and business consultant, it is my mission to help people from all backgrounds to find their dream job, and teach business owners how to unleash the untapped talents of their workers, to gain competitive advantage.

It's a job that I love, and it took me twenty years to FIND. It requires me to always find the bright side of life, while I teach others how to turn life's lemons into lemonade. I am always encouraging people to reinvent themselves, pursue lifelong learning, build a portfolio of transferable skills, and develop strong social and professional networks. In these times, I also push people to market themselves and develop a unique personal brand as a selling proposition.

I must admit that it has become extremely difficult to continue to encourage others, to have faith that things will improve. So many aspects of the Great American Enterprise are broken these days. For starters, our banks and financial institutions have been stealing from Americans and lying to us about it for so long, that it has become an accepted part of the Great American lie. And we allow it to continue.

Michael Douglas's character Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street" seems tame in comparison to the likes of today's "leaders" at Adelphia, Tyco, Enron, Global Crossing, Bernie Madoff, Goldman Sachs, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, etc.

For 30 years we have seen our manufacturing and industrial base erode, as American companies embraced the self-destructive policy of outsourcing, off-shoring, downsizing, and re-engineering what were deemed to be non-essential business fucntions. We were going to become a service and technology driven economy. Or so we thought. Guess what? We have become a post-industrialized nation that doesn't make anything anymore.

The Conference Board recently reported that America's college educated workforce dropped from its #1 ranking out of 36 industrialized nations in math and science scores, to a mid-tier ranking of #12.

Our american small businesses have for decades been a key driving force behind American jobs creation. Small business owners no longer have the incentive or financial wherewithall to hire new employees.

One in four American workers can now be classified as independent, contract, consultants, and more americans than ever before are living paycheck to paycheck. Most of our states are dangerously close to becoming bankrupt, and we as a society numb ourselves with an overdsose of reality TV to cope with it all.

When did we get like this? Why are we allowing a college education to cost $200,000? Why do we let ourselves be misled by a two-party political system that has stopped serving our needs and interests?

Unofficial uemployment rates are between 15-20%, and jobs traditionally filled by high school and college students are being staffed by workers in their 30s and 40s.

This needs to stop. We need a "Wake Up in America" program for the 21st Century. Who will lead us?

Gap Falls WAY Short on Customer Svc

Yesterday, my wife and daughter went shopping at a major retail outlet center in northern New Jersey, an hour away from our home. They found themselves in a Gap store, and proceeded to purchase several items. My wife discovered this morning that the cashier left one of those anti-theft, plastic jaws of death attached to a pair of pants.



So, my wife calls the store this morning, to request that the store send her a return envelope with the postage pre-paid. She would send back the pants in that envelope, so they could remove the tag and return the pants to her. The Store Manager refused to do so. She told my wife that she needs to pay to have the merchandise shipped back to the Gap, then the Gap would either mail the pants back to her (one assumes sans security tag) or they would credit our account.



My wife tells the Manager that since the Gap employee failed to remove the tag, the store should mail us the necessary envelope with the return postage paid by them, to return the item. After refusing to accommodate her request, they tell my wife she should call Gap's Corporate HQ if she wished to file a complaint. Of course, the store manager doesn't have the Gap's corporate HQ contact details (it's GAP, 2 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, tel. # 650.952.4400.



My wife calls Gap's Corporate Headquarters, only to be "greetd" by an automated response system. After spending an hour on hold, she FINALLY gets a live representative, who tells her she needs to transafer my wife to another "service" rep. Before my wife can object, she is transferred and of course gets hung up on.

Way to go, Gap! Congratulations on reaching the highest levels of American corporate service, held by such customer care-driven organizations as Dell, Verizon, Sears, and your local cable company.

Job Search Secrets Recruiters Don’t Want You to Know.

Having been a recruiter and now running my own career coaching business, I have come to realize there are many cold hard truths that the recruiting industry and Human Resources professionals do NOT want you to know about the processes they employ to recruit candidates to fill vacancies in their organizations. In order to be able to deal with the potentially damaging psychological impact of conducting a job search, here are a few cold-hard truths you MUST embrace:

1. The ACTUAL unemployment rate in the United States is 15-20%, and one in four workers can now be categorized as contract professionals.

2. Summer work and seasonal employment that was ideal for High School and college students are being served by professionals in their twenties, thirties, and forties.

3. We DON’T want you to reply. Since so many job seekers are out of work, companies that post ads for positions they are looking to fill get overwhelmed with thousands of responses. So, they cannot confirm receipt of your resume if you apply for a job, or simply filter your resume out of their database and never respond to you EVEN IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION. A Majority of the time when yo7u call to confirm receipt of the resume and cover letter you sent through the company’s official candidate process, they have no record of you.

4. The 3 top job sites (CareerBuilder, Monster, and Yahoo! Hot Jobs) account for no more than 6-7% of all positions. In the BEST of times no more than 10-15% of all positions were advertised. Now it’s MUCH less.

5. Most positions are already pre-qualified for internal hire fills but the company HAS to post the position for a period of time in order to remain in compliance with hiring guidelines established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Human Resources have almost no intention of looking outside the organization for qualified talent.

6. Recruiters are generally NOT interested in the job seeker but focus their efforts on serving the clients who pay them to find candidates to fill their positions. Thus, Recruiters are not concerned about the needs of the candidate and are not interested in ensuring the candidates’ values and belief systems match those of the hiring organization. There is ZERO monetary incentive thus motivation for them to care about the candidates they place.

7. The Human Resources Department often refuses to respond to inquiries from job seeker candidates that apply for positions the company advertised as a general business practice.

8. Companies know it is illegal to hire unpaid interns for extended work arrangements but do so any way, in order to get FREE work out of contract employees.

9. Recruiters who claim they are placing your information in their candidate database for future consideration hardly ever do so. They receive so many resumes from qualified candidates that in this employer market they can discard information from highly qualified job seekers.

10. Many companies refuse to terminate the employment of abusive managers but simply rotate them around the company. Thus, if you get hired and report to an abusive Manager then file a claim, you yourself may get terminated for potentially bringing bad press to the organization.

11. In the job market of today, most companies think very little of employees. Workers are seen as disposable assets. HR thus creates cold and impersonal terms to de-humanize employees by referring to layoffs as downsizing, right-sizing, re-engineering, outsourcing, off-shoring, and now…RIF – reduction in workforce instead of admitting they are discarding their non-valued assets.

12. The fallacious assumption of JOB SECURITY. We live in the 21st century contract workplace. Americans change jobs 8-9 times, on average. There is ZERO loyalty in the employee-employer contract.

13. If not blatantly unethical, many GREY areas exist in recruiting that HR professions turn a blind eye to, in oreder to recruit top talent.

Great Websites For Entrepreneurs

www.Inc.com
www.myownbusiness.org
www.Entrepreneur.com
www.Entrepreneurship.org
Smart Entrepreneur - www.smartentrepreneur.net
Entrepreneur Week: www.nycentweek.com
www.psw-ny.com/documents/WP1-BeforeNegotiations-031307.pdf
www.psw-ny.com/documents/WP4-StartUpMap-063008F.pdf
www.psw-ny.com/documents/PDF-WP3-InvestableBusCase-092506F.pdf
http://blog.entrepreneur.com
www.entrepreneurship.org/PolicyForum/Blog/post/2010/01/28/Tapping-your-Entrepreneurial-IQ.aspx
www.elientrepreneur.com

Signs You STINK at Customer Care

If you are guilty of the following THOUGHTLESS acts, then there is a VERY real likelihood that you are awful at customer service:

You walk through a door and let it close without looking back.

You push through a door you can’t see through in a rough hard motion, not thinking there might be someone on the other side.

You don’t call people back or respond to emails in a timely fashion esp. when you know it is going to be an unpleasant conversation.

You tell people you “promise” to do something and often don’t follow through.

You say “give me,” “I want,” or “let me have” whenever you place an order.

You slow down at a stop sign but don’t come to a complete stop then go through.

You drive through an intersection where pedestrians are waiting without stopping to let them cross.

You hand items to people without making eye contact to make sure they are holding the item firmly or talk to others while you are doing something for someone while they wait for you.

You text while you are walking or driving.

You get on an elevator and let it close without looking to see if someone else is getting on behind you.

You never give up your seat to the elderly, children, or the physically challenged.

You speak loudly on your cell phone in crowded enclosed places.

You ask people “How are you?” and move on without waiting to hear a response.

These might seem like nothing more than questionable manners, but much of what the term “service” encompasses is delivering consistently exceptional experiences to your customers.

The Skills Needed Most for Career Success

1.Perseverance: We all face challenges. The average American will change jobs 8-9 times in their career. The true measure of a person’s worth is defined by their ability to overcome adversity.

“There is no education like adversity.”
- Benjamin Disraeli

2. Natural curiosity: the pursuit of lifelong learning is a critical attribute when times change with the degree of rapidity we are experiencing in today’s turbulent world. You should always be looking to increase your skills by pursuing accreditations and certifications, learning a new software program or another language. Curiosity manifests itself in being a voracious reader, and in general having a natural curiosity towards the way things work, and how people operate (being a closet sociologist.)

3. Playing politics: understanding how to navigate the turbulent waters of today’s workplace is critical for long-term survival and success. We’ve all heard ad nauseum that very little of our success can be contributed to the actual work. It’s how we play the “game” that matters. Even if you hate doing that, it is important your learn how to do it well.

4. Embrace change: adaptability is a key for success. Entire industries like banking and financial services, printing, publishing, retail and advertising are imploding.

5. Having a moral compass: it is especially critical for small business owners to realize that their personal values and belief system are synonymous with their organization culture. Being able to match your personal values to an organization’s is the most critical factor in ensuring one’s job satisfaction. An entire emerging industry is growing around the ideal of promoting the social good. In the age of Enron, Bernie Madoff, Goldman Sachs, AIG, Lehman Brothers, and BP, what you represent is fast becoming more relevant than the products or services you offer.

6. Social extrovert: being liked goes a very long way towards building broad social and professional networks. Do people gravitate towards you or literally run from you?

7. Established personal brand: have you asked yourself: “what do I really stand for?” What is your unique selling proposition? What are the three or four key characteristics that most clearly define who you are and what you hope to accomplish?

8. Lean into discomfort: There are things we are mortified of doing, like public speaking for example. Being able overcome our fears is an absolute must, in order to ensure success in today’s global contract workplace. Research indicates that as many as 25% of all American workers are now classified as independent / contract / consulting. With jobs becoming more difficult to find/keep, people will be forced into opportunities that require them to go at it alone.

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
- Dale Carnegie

The Top Five Reasons Your Business is Stuck.

And Why You Can’t Seem to Fix It.

In today’s challenging business climate, it is hard enough to maintain and even grow your business. But there are five areas that you have complete control over, which you are probably failing at. Following are the top five reasons that most organizations are stuck, and likely can't get themselves out of the current economic calamity.



5. Your personal problem-solving skills are outdated: You are attempting to navigate your way out of this business climate using the same old approaches that worked before but won'y any longer. We live in unchartered times. The challenges we face are unique, and can't be solved with yesterday's solutions. It’s not enough to lower prices, fix operations, or lay off staff. In a climate in which our business, political, educational, and financial institutions are all broken we simply CAN'T continue to pursue business-as-usual approaches.


4. You haven’t aligned your core business functions: Face it, you do not develop your sales, marketing, product development and customer care efforts in isolation of one another. Your management team continues to treat these as stand-alone, separate entities when in fact they are all intertwined and need to be planned and budgeted for as a single entity.

3. Your strategy is no longer relevant: You continue to implement a strategy that was developed at an earlier time before circumstances changed so drastically. Marketplace conditions such as the rate of technological change and globalization of business & industry are changing at such a rapid pace that strategies cannot be applied beyond 3 to 4 month cycles in most industries.

2. You don’t know your customers: You continue to sell to your existing customers without truly understanding the challenges they face. When was the last time you took a top revenue client out for breakfast? Do you periodically join your top clients for a ride along, to shadow them for a day to learn their business and challenges they face? Have you conducted a lifetime value assessment to determine your most (and least) profitable accounts? Do you have a strategy to grow repeat business with existing clients and covert your repeat customers into apostles?

...and the #1 reason you can’t "unstick"your business in these turbulent times:



1. You treat your employees like “disposable assets”: Instead of elevating your people to their rightful place as your organization’s most valuable asset, you treat them like a commodity. You conduct periodic layoffs, and expect their loyalty to remain steadfast. Have passionate are you about constantly soliciting feedback from your people on how to improve your organization. Do you provide them with the autonomy, training and resources to make decisions independently? Do you have an idea generation program?

Do you reward and recognize your people? Coach and mentor them? Have you performed a human capital audit to match every one of your people’s core competencies with their job responsibilities? Do you constantly challenge your people? What about providing a great workplace? How often do you provide feedback? Do you have a 360-degree performance review program?

Until you unleash the tremendous untapped potential of your workforce, you will not be able to compete in today’s changing global business climate.

Are We Out of the Recession? Were We Ever in One?

If you listen to the pundits talk about a supposed American “recovery” then no doubt you are aware that we have come out of this two year Recession. The experts point to a stock market that has rebounded, and an increase in the demand for certain goods. Supposedly the manufacturing sector has turned some sort of a corner, and some companies have even begun hiring again.

So, is it safe to safe we are coming out of the Recession?

What if we have not been experiencing a Recession at all, but something fundamentally and significantly different (and by different I mean…WORSE?)
When our unofficial unemployment rate remains stubbornly fixed between 15-20% and experienced professionals cannot find work after six+ months of aggressive searching, we have problems. When entire industries have imploded (banking, financial services, housing, printing, publishing, retail, advertising, and manufacturing) and we have outsourced all the business operations we used to excel at, there is something larger at play that is not being discussed!

What if we are at a societal crossroads where our educational, business, and political systems are no longer serving the needs of the average American? For example, students that at one time would not hesitate to consider college are now NOT considering college as a viable option due to the $200,000 price tag and no guarantee of post-graduation employment.

The average American student falls farther behind the rest of the industrialized world in science and mathematics proficiency. We live in the contract employee era. One in four Americans can now be classified as independent/contract workers and that number continues to spike upwards. People in their thirties to fifties cannot find work.

Are we really in store for better days ahead?

Small businesses used to be the lifeblood of any job-based economic recovery. 95% of all new jobs were created by employers with 500 or fewer employers. In today’s business climate, small businesses cannot afford to hire new workers and are going out of business at record levels.

Only now has the Obama Administration made a concerted effort to help save the American small business from going extinct. Our global banks and financial institutions continue to receive record bailouts. Apparently you can be too big to fail, but the guarantee of support from our Government does not apply to our small business owners.

Our two-party political system seems unable to come together to save our Gulf Coast from British Petroleum, or save our states from bankruptcy. The American Middle Class continues to erode and a greater percent of the American wealth pie gets concentrated in an ever shrinking upper class.

Are we witnessing a transfer of power from America to India and China, or are better days ahead in the form of a Great American recovery?

Was Charles Darwin a Career Coach?

“I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term Natural Selection.”
- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

Natural selection is the process by which those heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

Natural selection and the idea of survival of the fittest are key elements of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. As a Career Coach, I often wonder if there are lessons that we can learn, by applying this theory to today’s current turbulent job market. After all, survival of the fittest and the notion of adapting over time to ensure survival has a direct correlation with job seekers competing against one other in a constricted job market for extremely scarce jobs.


For example, using Darwin’s lessons of natural evolution, we would understand that applying the same outdated job strategies like responding to job classifieds, searching job websites, relying on recruiters, etc. only lead to career extinction. Instead, we need to adapt and evolve in order to survive today’s constantly changing Twenty First Century global contract workplace. Job seeker survival of the fittest demands adaptive strategies such as:
• Customizing every resume and cover letter you send;
• Contacting the people we would report to in the Department of an organization we want to work in, to sell ourselves for a job they don’t even know they know they need to fill that we’d be perfect for;
• Forget elevator pitches! You need to brand yourself like a product using your USP/value proposition;
• Developing your very own personal marketing plan; and
• Creating a strategic networking plan to follow.

Americans will be expected to change jobs an average of 8-9 times during their careers. The pursuit of lifelong learning and transferrable skills makes sense as an adaptation strategy, for workers to deal with unexpected marketplace trends, developments and circumstances. In Darwin’s theory, species changed over time and space. In the wild, the importance of adaptation is self evident when chameleons change colors in order to blend into their surroundings to hunt more effectively. What can be said of workers that pursue new skills only to realize too late that the skills they learned are no longer needed in our post-Industrial, service and technology-based society?



Survival of the fittest has just as much relevance in the workplace as it does on the Serengeti. It means you HAVE to develop a strategy for dealing with abusive co-workers and bosses. You need to develop a survivalist mentality when you combat peers that attempt to sabotage you by taking credit for your work, blaming you for their failures, or slandering your reputation. It demands you align yourself with advocates to partner against stronger foes for protection, as is done in the wild.
The phrase “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” has as much relevance in an office setting, as its counterpart “mutual symbiosis” does when a bird rides on a rhino to pick bugs off its back.

"Nature encourages no looseness, pardons no errors.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adapting to your natural environment is something that career changers learn how to do out of necessity. Elongated body parts to reach food sources are examples of how species change over time. An equivalent approach taken by a job seeker might entail making a career transition from an industry that is dying (printing, publishing, or manufacturing) to one that is growing (nursing, healthcare, Green initiatives.) As a society we make decisions that hurt our long-term survival, such as cutting down rain forests, polluting our water sources, and destroying our natural resources. The direct parallel of business owners outsourcing, off-shoring, and re-engineering jobs is scary.

An example of adaptation in the wild is when animal (wolf or lion) is ostracized by its pack to the point where it is forced to leave and become a “loner.” A strong connection can be drawn to disenfranchised career professionals that leave jobs working for an employer in search of freelance, contract, and consulting roles on a “go-at-it-alone” basis. In fact, research shows that one in four Americans are making this choice and the number is skyrocketing. Why is this happening? We can point to the death of the employee/employer contract as organizations have come to view employees as disposable assets.

Parallels exist between carnivores that learn to hunt in daylight or nightfall and job seekers that constantly pursue lifelong learning by taking adult education courses, pursuing professional certifications/accreditations, licenses, or taking specific skills training in your field of study or an industry you want to transition to.

A question that Charles Darwin would have certainly asked is: “Are we better off today as a society through the adaptive changes we went through since World War II?” Our educational systems are failing, a majority of the population has no faith in our politicians, entire industries are imploding, our actual unemployment rate has soared to 15-20%, the divorce rate surpassed 50%, our Middle Class is dwindling, our children are obese, we can’t afford to care for our elders or send our children to college, and many of our states are dangerously close to bankruptcy.

Darwin's theory of evolution fundamentally changed the direction of future scientific thought, though it was built on a growing body of thought that began to question prior ideas about the natural world . Perhaps it is time for us to rethink the approaches we take to our 21st Century American Society, or we may find ourselves devolving even further.

The Power of Being a "Contrarian" Business Owner.

Does it seem like more business people are acting like lemmings these days? They gladly follow the herd ANYWHERE, even if it means heading blindly off a cliff in pursuit of outdated business approaches.

It does make sense to follow others blindly. It’s comforting to stick with the familiar and there’s safety in numbers. Plus, we all have a fear of the unknown. It requires a TREMENDOUS amount of creativity, courage and energy to buck conventional “wisdom” in the pursuit of non-conformity. That explains why many business owners and professionals alike cling to outdated (and often harmful) ways of doing things, when confronted with a turbulent business climate like we find ourselves in now.

If we all sit around waiting for business to improve, who is going to lead us forward? Conformists can’t. Conducting business from a conformist approach at Lehman Brothers, General Motors, AIG, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc. has led to widespread failures.

Our Nation requires contrarian leadership now more than ever. From Arizona to New Jersey, our states are becoming bankrupt. One in four Americans work in freelance, contract, and consulting jobs and the number will only climb higher. More than ten percent of Americans are unemployed (and many think the actual number is much higher.) The average American will be forced to change jobs 8-9 times in their career. Our cities are crumbling, and we’ve outsourced nearly all core competencies overseas. Entire industries like printing, advertising, publishing, retail, insurance, banking and financial services are imploding. Our two-party political system is dying. Now is NOT the time to accept the mediocrity that results from conformity.


Contrarians understand that the paradigm of work and the American enterprise itself has changed completely. We have seen the deterioration in the employer/employee contract. Businesses are faced with an extremely difficult lending environment, competition bombards us globally, and employees are accepted as disposable assets. It is times like these in which contrarian business owners LEAD with greatness.

Central to the contrarian business owner belief system is the fact that employees are critical to the success of an organization. They are not “disposable assets.” Contrarians NEVER subscribe to the myopic, short-term panacea of layoffs. While conformist business owners institute layoffs, contrarian employers invest even more in their EMPLOYEES in times like these. They throw away their job descriptions and find GREAT talent, without regard to positions. Contrarian business owners understand that you can ALWAYS find a place for truly talented people.

They don’t demand their people possess specific degrees or matriculate from certain academic institutions. Contrarians seek people who love to find solutions to problems, esp. problems that don’t even exist…yet. They thrive on teaching others, excel in chaotic environments that change constantly, don’t need constant hand-holding, and enjoy taking calculated risks when the potential reward is high.

You can spot a contrarian in an instant. They do crazy things like make all the Departments in their organization work together. Teamwork is most certainly NOT lip service to them, and it’s NOT relegated to a fancy picture in a frame in their lobby. Their organizations flourish with teamwork imbedded in everything they do. Managers of each Department have their objectives tied to other Departments. In the contrarian-run enterprise, the annual budgets of the Sales, Marketing, Product Development / R&D and Customer Care Teams are all developed and approved by each other. Heck, their budgets are tied to each other’s.

A contrarian is just as likely to hire circus folk, ex-convicts, military, High School drop-outs, retirees, and the physically/mentally challenged as they are an Ivy Leaguer. They pay more willingly, in order to recruit and hire the very best talent. They will even freeze the pay of their owners and senior management (or reduce it) in order to be able to afford to hire top talent at all ranks of the organization.

They go out of their way to make their employees feel special when they join their organization. They believe wholeheartedly in coaching/mentoring, training, recognizing, rewarding and promoting their people. A Contrarian does everything in their power to solicit ideas and feedback from their people ALL of the time. They even reward (and promote) their people for great ideas.

Contrarians understand deep down to the core of their Leader DNA that the PEOPLE closest to the work and their customers are in the BEST position to come up with new products and services. Their front-line employees know how to fix things and be more efficient. Contrarians seek ideas, input and direction from these employees constantly. Even better, they give their employees the tools, training, resources and AUTHORITY they need to succeed. Contrarians know how to get out of their people’s way, and WATCH THE MAGIC HAPPEN.

They “encourage” their people to fail GREATLY by taking huge calculated risks, and reward them with parties, gifts and raises for their “failures.” They cut back on their trade show expenses and take their employees on trips with those savings. Contrarians are crazy enough to set aside money to fund their people who are looking to start up their own businesses. The contrarian will go to great lengths to keep their talent, rather than let them leave to pursue their own business. They know it’s a great way to grow their own business by in effect acquiring a start up by staying “in-house.”

Being contrarian means increasing your marketing and advertising investments NOW. While competitors bury their heads in the sand, a contrarian boldly leverage these tools to achieve their goals. In a depressed market like we’re in now, they negotiate more favorable terms with advertisers, and KNOW their message will resonate more strongly when their competitors cut back their advertising. They march forward boldly in their contrarian confidence and send a message to clients, prospects, and markets that they are “in it” for the long haul.

In these turbulent times, only the business leaders that throw away the old ways will thrive. Contrarians understand that these times DEMAND we make emotional connections to employees, clients, partners, suppliers, and the media. For example, the Pareto Principal tells us all clients are not created equally. Your top 20% of your customers generate 80% of your revenue. Conversely, a relatively small number of customers demand a disproportionately large amount of your support team’s time and effort. A contrarian understands this, and cuts loose all those unprofitable clients who take time away from converting customers into repeat customers and repeat customers into apostles.

Contrarians don’t subscribe to today’s prevailing business “logic” that you need to take a wait and see approach. Contrarians relish the myriad challenges facing business owners today. Bold visionaries (contrarians) thrive on upheaval, and know how to turn chaos into opportunities and business profits.