Saturday, June 30, 2012
BMW Staffs Up! Ultimate Hiring Machine!
The New American Job: For Personal Trainers, a Boom Fueled by a Belt-Tightening Age http://t.co/v02TjQVm
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
Romney's Old Company Is The Best Employer In America http://t.co/fmuJJtUN
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
"@USOlympic: #USWNT got it done today. Next stop: #London2012." http://t.co/u2RHuaQB Support TeamUSA!
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
U.S. "Genius" visa attracts entrepreneurs and Playmates - Yahoo! News http://t.co/OrSPwTos via @YahooNews
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
STRATEGIC WORKFORCE | Engaged, Experienced, Enlightened, Enhanced, Elevated… Evolving Endlessly http://t.co/lDjvU5pt
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
"@TedRubin: Endurance, the companion to, and integral part of perseverance. You need them both. #RonR" Yes,Yes, Yes!
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
Airbus' Alabama plant to create 2,500 construction jobs http://t.co/uipio9qb
http://twitter.com/mitchcardoza
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Strategic Selling Is Not Enough! ADD "Insight Sales" Philosophy To Your Sales Process
Under the conventional solution-selling method that has prevailed since the 1980s, salespeople are trained to align a solution with an acknowledged customer need and demonstrate why it is better than the competition’s. This translates into a very practical approach: A rep begins by identifying customers who recognize a problem that the supplier can solve, and gives priority to those who are ready to act. Then, by asking questions, she surfaces a “hook” that enables her to attach her company’s solution to that problem. Part and parcel of this approach is her ability to find and nurture somebody within the customer organization—an advocate, or coach—who can help her navigate the company and drive the deal to completion.
But customers have radically departed from the old ways of buying, and sales leaders are increasingly finding that their staffs are relegated to price-driven bake-offs. One CSO at a high-tech organization says, “Our customers are coming to the table armed to the teeth with a deep understanding of their problem and a well-scoped RFP for a solution. It’s turning many of our sales conversations into fulfillment conversations.” Reps must learn to engage customers much EARLIER, well before customers fully understand their own needs. In many ways, this is a strategy as old as sales itself: To win a deal, you’ve got to get ahead of the RFP. But research shows that although that’s more important than ever, it’s no longer sufficient.
To find out what high-performing sales professionals (defined as those in the top 20% in terms of quota attainment) do differently from other reps, Corporate Executive Board conducted three studies. In the first, they surveyed more than 6,000 reps from 83 companies, spanning every major industry, about how they prioritize opportunities, target and engage stakeholders, and execute the sales process. In the second, they examined complex purchasing scenarios in nearly 600 companies in a variety of industries to understand the various structures and influences of formal and informal buying teams. In the third, they studied more than 700 individual customer stakeholders involved in complex B2B purchases to determine the impact specific kinds of stakeholders can have on organizational buying decisions.
The key finding: The top-performing reps have abandoned the traditional playbook and devised a novel, even radical, sales approach built on the three strategies outlined above.
The Take Away...ADD AN "INSIGHT SELLING PHILOSOPHY" into the sales mix. These include:
***Targeting AGILE organizations that have emerging demands or are in a state of change/ flux.
***When conducting initial "Discovery" - What unrecognized needs does the customer have?
***Engage sooner, before the customer has pinpointed the problem.
***Offer education and proactive insights about what the customer should do.
***Direct the flow of information as much as possible and coach the customer on how to buy, and offer support throughout the process.
When weaving these strategies into your traditional sales process, your organization WILL WIN MORE DEALS.
But customers have radically departed from the old ways of buying, and sales leaders are increasingly finding that their staffs are relegated to price-driven bake-offs. One CSO at a high-tech organization says, “Our customers are coming to the table armed to the teeth with a deep understanding of their problem and a well-scoped RFP for a solution. It’s turning many of our sales conversations into fulfillment conversations.” Reps must learn to engage customers much EARLIER, well before customers fully understand their own needs. In many ways, this is a strategy as old as sales itself: To win a deal, you’ve got to get ahead of the RFP. But research shows that although that’s more important than ever, it’s no longer sufficient.
To find out what high-performing sales professionals (defined as those in the top 20% in terms of quota attainment) do differently from other reps, Corporate Executive Board conducted three studies. In the first, they surveyed more than 6,000 reps from 83 companies, spanning every major industry, about how they prioritize opportunities, target and engage stakeholders, and execute the sales process. In the second, they examined complex purchasing scenarios in nearly 600 companies in a variety of industries to understand the various structures and influences of formal and informal buying teams. In the third, they studied more than 700 individual customer stakeholders involved in complex B2B purchases to determine the impact specific kinds of stakeholders can have on organizational buying decisions.
The key finding: The top-performing reps have abandoned the traditional playbook and devised a novel, even radical, sales approach built on the three strategies outlined above.
The Take Away...ADD AN "INSIGHT SELLING PHILOSOPHY" into the sales mix. These include:
***Targeting AGILE organizations that have emerging demands or are in a state of change/ flux.
***When conducting initial "Discovery" - What unrecognized needs does the customer have?
***Engage sooner, before the customer has pinpointed the problem.
***Offer education and proactive insights about what the customer should do.
***Direct the flow of information as much as possible and coach the customer on how to buy, and offer support throughout the process.
When weaving these strategies into your traditional sales process, your organization WILL WIN MORE DEALS.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
12 Most Important Ways to Build Relationships and Get ROR (Return on Relationship)
Return on Relationship IS the new standard for Measurement on Success! Move beyond ROI thinking to ROR. Ted Rubin, is a GURU on all things ROR. He is the man to follow as you learn how ROR can positively impact your personal and professional life... and business brand. We chat regularly on Twitter and he makes himself available to his fans and practitioners... look out for his new book coming out in August 2012! I can't wait! Learn more about Ted here: http://www.tedrubin.com/about-2/
If you want to continue to reach your market in this social media age, the marketing focus needs to be on building relationships, and metrics need to expand beyond ROI (Return on Investment) to include ROR: Return on Relationship™… simply put the value that is accrued by a person or brand due to nurturing a relationship. ROI is simple $’s and cents. ROR is the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through connection, loyalty, recommendations and sharing.
So how do you build and strengthen relationships with your audience (as a whole, and as individuals) to increase your ROR? Here are 12 ways to do so:
1. Listen
If you want to be heard above the growing social media “noise,” you need to first listen to your consumers so when you do speak, you get it right. What are they saying, what are they feeling, what are their pain points, what solutions do they need?
2. Don’t just Listen, but Hear.
Thanks to social media, brands can gather vast amounts of valuable information about consumer preferences… but to build relationships you need to go well beyond data gathering and actually hear, and react to what your consumers are sharing. True listening requires a willingness to place consumers’ opinions above the brand’s own (usually biased) view of itself, and to even make product/service changes based on that feedback.
3. Know the People in Your Audience
Short and simple: if you are only focused on the money, you risk completely overlooking the people. Don’t make that mistake! If you don’t know who your people are, you might as well toss your marketing money down the drain.
4. Make it be about THEM
First think about and first address what matters most to your audience. Give them a platform to show you what they need, want, are interested in, and expect. Whatever matters most to them should become what matters most to you!
5. Be consumer oriented (whether that be retail consumers, b to b prospects, or those who consume your personal brand).
We marketers like to think that social media is primarily a set of tools for our marketing purposes, but in reality, social media is also a strong set of tools our consumers use to share and influence opinion about our brand. Our consumers now have “the channel of me.” Consumers’ opinions now create the “reality” of the brand — if enough consumers say negative things about your brand, your brand loses its credibility, and (thankfully) vice versa.
6. Ask “How can I serve you?”
Taking the “ME” mentality one step further, when we are advertising instead of building relationships, we are focused on what our consumers can give us instead of how we can best serve them.
7. Aim for Ongoing Engagement
Your consumers will recognize in a heartbeat if you are simply trying to get something from them – and they will not stick around. It’s not that you aren’t allowed to want anything from your consumers, it’s that there must be a give to go along with every take. If you truly want to make an impact, aim to always put more energy and attention in your “give” column than in your “take” column. It will pay off.
Traditional advertising is going for instant impact and hoping and praying you make an impression: splashy billboards, off-the-wall Super Bowl television ads, eye-catching graphics, even shock factor (images of gore, poverty, nudity, animal cruelty, etc.). While those methods are effective in catching a consumer’s attention, they fall short of retaining that attention. Building relationships is about starting meaningful dialogue and taking the time to thoughtfully and genuinely engage in ongoing conversation. Relationships focus on getting to know your consumer and giving them reasons to stay engaged — not just getting them to react. This needs to be all the time… not simply campaign or initiative based. That is the biggest mistake being made today by marketers and brands… with consumers, and especially with influencers.
Brands tend to fall short on this one because real engagement takes time, attention, and overall effort, but I can assure you that working in a vacuum is one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make! A one-time Tweet, a quick Facebook posting, or an email here and there is an announcement, not engagement. Engagement requires a brand to reach out to consumers by asking questions, offering useful content and solutions to relevant consumer issues, providing useful community forums and feedback venues, etc.
8. Authenticity will set your brand apart from the rest in today’s highly competitive market.
True authenticity in marketing requires brands to change their public filters. It used to be that a whitewashed image was the way to get consumers’ notice and buy-in (literally)…but now, if brands filter out any and all slight imperfections, consumers quickly get wary. If the only product/service reviews you allow the public to hear are about how amazing your product/service is, you quickly lose authenticity points.
9. “LESS fabrication, MORE facilitation.”
In other words, don’t waste resources whitewashing your brand. Put your resources instead into giving Advocates the tools to tell their truth about your brand…because that is what consumers trust and what they trust, they will buy. “LESS fabrication, MORE facilitation” = a boost to your ROR.
10. In today’s market, REAL trumps PERFECT because real is what creates TRUST
Give consumers ongoing chances to interact with you and your brand, so they can see that you always tell the truth. Don’t waste your valuable marketing time making things up because your consumers will sense that you are not telling the truth. Do your products and services have all perfect recommendations, as your brand claims? Maybe – but unlikely. 100% on-time delivery? Maybe – but unlikely.
Of course you don’t need to announce your errors or be proud of performance inconsistencies, but if consumers bring them up publicly, consider NOT filtering those conversations out of the media. Speak directly to any issues consumers have with your brand, and let your problem-solving conversations be public. These authentic conversations are the ones that build ongoing relationships – the ones that create Brand Advocates.
11. Integrate Customer Service with your social presence.
Use social media for instant and ongoing engagement with your customers. Pay attention to them and address their needs early, often and publicly. Make sure your social team and customer service team are on the same page and communicate regularly and easily.
12. Focus on the relationship before the sale.
When a brand adopts the marketing philosophy that it is all about relationships, they automatically begin paying more attention to the consumer needs and preferences to learn who the consumers really are. Consumers who feel valued by a brand will in turn assign value to the brand by buying the product/service and passing recommendations on to their networks. The sale then becomes a natural part of the ROR instead of a “hard sell” effort.
Relationships ARE the new currency – honor them, invest in them, and start measuring your ROR!
If you want to continue to reach your market in this social media age, the marketing focus needs to be on building relationships, and metrics need to expand beyond ROI (Return on Investment) to include ROR: Return on Relationship™… simply put the value that is accrued by a person or brand due to nurturing a relationship. ROI is simple $’s and cents. ROR is the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through connection, loyalty, recommendations and sharing.
So how do you build and strengthen relationships with your audience (as a whole, and as individuals) to increase your ROR? Here are 12 ways to do so:
1. Listen
If you want to be heard above the growing social media “noise,” you need to first listen to your consumers so when you do speak, you get it right. What are they saying, what are they feeling, what are their pain points, what solutions do they need?
2. Don’t just Listen, but Hear.
Thanks to social media, brands can gather vast amounts of valuable information about consumer preferences… but to build relationships you need to go well beyond data gathering and actually hear, and react to what your consumers are sharing. True listening requires a willingness to place consumers’ opinions above the brand’s own (usually biased) view of itself, and to even make product/service changes based on that feedback.
3. Know the People in Your Audience
Short and simple: if you are only focused on the money, you risk completely overlooking the people. Don’t make that mistake! If you don’t know who your people are, you might as well toss your marketing money down the drain.
4. Make it be about THEM
First think about and first address what matters most to your audience. Give them a platform to show you what they need, want, are interested in, and expect. Whatever matters most to them should become what matters most to you!
5. Be consumer oriented (whether that be retail consumers, b to b prospects, or those who consume your personal brand).
We marketers like to think that social media is primarily a set of tools for our marketing purposes, but in reality, social media is also a strong set of tools our consumers use to share and influence opinion about our brand. Our consumers now have “the channel of me.” Consumers’ opinions now create the “reality” of the brand — if enough consumers say negative things about your brand, your brand loses its credibility, and (thankfully) vice versa.
6. Ask “How can I serve you?”
Taking the “ME” mentality one step further, when we are advertising instead of building relationships, we are focused on what our consumers can give us instead of how we can best serve them.
7. Aim for Ongoing Engagement
Your consumers will recognize in a heartbeat if you are simply trying to get something from them – and they will not stick around. It’s not that you aren’t allowed to want anything from your consumers, it’s that there must be a give to go along with every take. If you truly want to make an impact, aim to always put more energy and attention in your “give” column than in your “take” column. It will pay off.
Traditional advertising is going for instant impact and hoping and praying you make an impression: splashy billboards, off-the-wall Super Bowl television ads, eye-catching graphics, even shock factor (images of gore, poverty, nudity, animal cruelty, etc.). While those methods are effective in catching a consumer’s attention, they fall short of retaining that attention. Building relationships is about starting meaningful dialogue and taking the time to thoughtfully and genuinely engage in ongoing conversation. Relationships focus on getting to know your consumer and giving them reasons to stay engaged — not just getting them to react. This needs to be all the time… not simply campaign or initiative based. That is the biggest mistake being made today by marketers and brands… with consumers, and especially with influencers.
Brands tend to fall short on this one because real engagement takes time, attention, and overall effort, but I can assure you that working in a vacuum is one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make! A one-time Tweet, a quick Facebook posting, or an email here and there is an announcement, not engagement. Engagement requires a brand to reach out to consumers by asking questions, offering useful content and solutions to relevant consumer issues, providing useful community forums and feedback venues, etc.
8. Authenticity will set your brand apart from the rest in today’s highly competitive market.
True authenticity in marketing requires brands to change their public filters. It used to be that a whitewashed image was the way to get consumers’ notice and buy-in (literally)…but now, if brands filter out any and all slight imperfections, consumers quickly get wary. If the only product/service reviews you allow the public to hear are about how amazing your product/service is, you quickly lose authenticity points.
9. “LESS fabrication, MORE facilitation.”
In other words, don’t waste resources whitewashing your brand. Put your resources instead into giving Advocates the tools to tell their truth about your brand…because that is what consumers trust and what they trust, they will buy. “LESS fabrication, MORE facilitation” = a boost to your ROR.
10. In today’s market, REAL trumps PERFECT because real is what creates TRUST
Give consumers ongoing chances to interact with you and your brand, so they can see that you always tell the truth. Don’t waste your valuable marketing time making things up because your consumers will sense that you are not telling the truth. Do your products and services have all perfect recommendations, as your brand claims? Maybe – but unlikely. 100% on-time delivery? Maybe – but unlikely.
Of course you don’t need to announce your errors or be proud of performance inconsistencies, but if consumers bring them up publicly, consider NOT filtering those conversations out of the media. Speak directly to any issues consumers have with your brand, and let your problem-solving conversations be public. These authentic conversations are the ones that build ongoing relationships – the ones that create Brand Advocates.
11. Integrate Customer Service with your social presence.
Use social media for instant and ongoing engagement with your customers. Pay attention to them and address their needs early, often and publicly. Make sure your social team and customer service team are on the same page and communicate regularly and easily.
12. Focus on the relationship before the sale.
When a brand adopts the marketing philosophy that it is all about relationships, they automatically begin paying more attention to the consumer needs and preferences to learn who the consumers really are. Consumers who feel valued by a brand will in turn assign value to the brand by buying the product/service and passing recommendations on to their networks. The sale then becomes a natural part of the ROR instead of a “hard sell” effort.
Relationships ARE the new currency – honor them, invest in them, and start measuring your ROR!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Celebrate The Fact That Your Company Partners With WINNERS!
Last week a list came out of the Least Admired Companies in America (Bank of America, American Airlines, DirecTV, FaceBook, etc.) and I asked those in my industry- How are your staffing, HR & MSP services impacting these company cultures? Will you adjust your workforce solutions to attract the right people that may help enhance the organization’s reputation? OR Do you just like to go after a LOGO regardless of the organization's reputation in the space...You'll Date Ugly For The Money! This week companies like Microsoft, Accenture, Intel, NetApp, SAP, SalesForce.com are being hailed as Great Places To Work, especially for tech employees! For those HR & MSP firms that do business with these great LOGOs, congratulate yourselves and celebrate the fact that you help shape their workforce, company culture and their reputations with the services that you provide! I see a Press Release coming out about how Your Company only partners with the Best-in-Class! Here is the link to the story:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-best-tech-companies-to-work-at-in-2012-2012-6?sf4814466=1#
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-best-tech-companies-to-work-at-in-2012-2012-6?sf4814466=1#
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Don't Like Your Job? Change It (Without Quitting)
Sometimes you know your job just isn't right for you. Maybe you're in the wrong field, don't enjoy the work, feel surrounded by untrustworthy coworkers, or have an incompetent boss. Most people would tell you to find something that's a better fit. But that may not be possible. There are many reasons you may not be able to leave: a tough economy, family commitments, or limited opportunities in your field. So what do you do when you're stuck in the wrong job?
What the Experts Say
According to Gretchen Spreitzer, professor of management and organizations at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and coauthor of "Creating Sustainable Performance," people are highly dissatisfied when their job has no meaning or purpose to them, provides little opportunity to learn, or leaves them depleted at the end of the work day.
Whatever the reason you are unhappy, you don't have to just live with it or quit. In fact, even if you are able to find another job, staying put may be the best option. "Job searching and changing jobs is not a trivial matter. It is often costly to career momentum and earnings as much as it is a boon," says Amy Wrzesniewski, an associate professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management and coauthor of "Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want." The good news is that there is usually more leeway to alter your job than you think. "There are often real areas for movement and change that people tend not to recognize," she says. Here's how to make the most of an imperfect job situation.
Look at yourself
Whether or not you are satisfied with your job often has to do with your disposition, says Sigal Barsade, the Joseph Frank Bernstein Professor of Management at The Wharton School. Some people are naturally inclined to be unhappy, while others have a brighter take on life. Before you declare your job a bad fit, take a look at yourself. Barsade says it's worth asking: Are you just the kind of person who tends to be dissatisfied? This understanding may not make you like your job better, but may make you think twice before you look for a new position.
Find meaning
Speitzer's research shows that finding more meaning in your work can dramatically improve job satisfaction. Barsade agrees; she recommends looking at your job responsibilities through a different lens. For example, if your position involves menial tasks, try to remember they are stepping stones to a longer term goal and you won't be doing them forever. Or, if you are in a field that is emotionally taxing, like nursing or social work, remind yourself that while you are tired at the end of the day, you are helping others. It also helps to connect with colleagues. Seek out opportunities to show compassion and express gratitude. Spend time with coworkers you like. "Stronger emotional connections at work lead to a myriad of positive physiological and social effects," says Barsade.
Alter what you do
If you can't change your perspective, you may be able to shift your job responsibilities. And you don't necessarily have to transfer departments or get a promotion to do it. Spreitzer and Wrzesniewski suggest using a job crafting exercise to redesign your job to better fit your motives, strengths, and passions. "Some people make radical moves; others make small changes" in how they delegate or schedule their day, Wrzesniewski says. While the former might require approval from your manager, the latter often doesn't. For example, if your most enjoyable task is talking with clients, but you feel buried in paperwork, you might decide to always speak with clients in the morning, so you're energized to get through the drudge work for the rest of the day. Or you might save talking with your clients until the end of the day as a reward.
Change who you interact with
If it's not the work you dislike but the people you work with, you may be able to change that too. Wrzesniewski says she has seen people successfully alter who they interact with on a daily basis to increase job satisfaction. Focus on forging relationships that give you energy, rather than sapping it. Seek out people who can help you do your job better. Wrzesniewski gives the example of workers at a hospital who were responsible for cleaning patients' rooms. They relied on a centralized dispatch to tell them when rooms were open and what products were safe to use based on the occupant. But dispatch didn't always have the most up-to-date information. This meant the workers couldn't do their jobs as well as they wanted to, leaving them dissatisfied. When they developed relationships with the clerks on each ward, they received more accurate information and were able to do a more efficient job of cleaning. Of course, if your relationship with your boss or your coworkers is especially difficult, you may not be able to work around them. "Job crafting can't turn around any job situation. It's not a cure-all," Wrzesniewski says.
Resist complaining
When you're in the wrong job, it can be tempting to moan about it to others. But it's not advisable. "Complaining about your job is a recipe for trouble. You never know how the complaints may be shared with others in the organization," says Spreitzer. Plus you may drag others down with you. If you are unhappy, it's better to focus on what you can change not grumble about what you can't.
Keep options open
The improvements you make to your job situation may make things more tolerable, but you should always be open to the next thing. "You can improve your job but you can also be on the lookout for new opportunities," says Speitzer. Be sure your resume (e.g. your LinkedIn profile) is up to date and that you are continually meeting people in the field you want to be in.
Principles to Remember
Do:
Make connections with people you like at work
Assess what you don't enjoy about your job so that you can minimize the time you spend doing unwanted tasks
Keep your options open — you may not be able to leave your job now, but circumstances may change
Don't:
Assume that the job is the problem — you may be prone to being dissatisfied
Think you're stuck — there is usually more leeway to alter your job than you think
Complain incessantly about your job and bring others down
Case Study #1: Integrate your interests into the job
Thomas Heffner is an engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, a university-affiliated research center that contracts with the Department of Defense. When Thomas took the job eight years ago, he started off doing purely technical work focusing on radio frequency design and radar analysis. He knew pretty early on that this work wasn't his passion. "So much of what we do is done in isolation. We have classified labs where I might be the only person typing away," he says. About five years into the job, he took on a project manager role, thinking it would allow him to interact more with people. Still most of his tasks — managing schedules, developing contracts, reviewing documentation — involved working alone. Thomas thought about looking for another job, one that suited him better, but he couldn't. He and his wife were having a second child and it wasn't a good time to make a move, especially given the tough job market. Instead, he started taking classes in positive organizational psychology and found ways to integrate this interest into his work. He offered to do presentations on positive organizational scholarship. He first spoke to his own group and then at brown-bag lunches, which were open to everyone in his 5,000-person center. He also approached his company's training and development office about developing a course that uses positive psychology to teach innovation and creativity. The staff in that office encouraged him to create and teach the course. While these new projects are outside of his scope of work, he still does all of the things his project manager role requires. And, he has been able to reduce his administrative workload by delegating certain tasks to his team members who were eager to take them on. "I was able to make room for the things I wanted to do," he says. And it's paid off. "Before I started making changes, my job satisfaction was probably about 3 [on a scale of 1-10]. I'm making small changes; it's nothing earth shattering, but it's now up to a 7." By finding other ways to spend time doing what he enjoys most — learning, teaching others, spending time with people — he believes he can boost that up to an 8 or 9.
Case Study #2: Start doing the job you want
Nine years ago, when Shammy Khan took a job at a contract manufacturer based in Texas, he knew it wasn't the perfect job for him. The position was in account management and required Shammy to handle routine, day-to-day work related to one of the company's clients. Shammy felt his strengths lied elsewhere. "I was more interested in growing businesses and putting deals together than servicing existing clients," he says. Yet he was spending less than 5% of his time doing that. After a year on the job, he completed a job crafting exercise, which helped him realize that he would be happier focusing more on new customer deals, which he saw others doing full time. He approached his manager and explained why he was the right person to cultivate a potential client in a market — large scale electromechanical integration services — the company had never served. His boss was convinced. Shammy's title and role didn't change but he shifted his attention to developing and acquiring the capabilities needed to win the account. The client is now one of his company's top six customers. Based on that success, Shammy was promoted to vice president and is now focused exclusively on new ventures, strategic markets, and business development.
Thank you Amy Gallo for your contributions & sharing this piece- great advice for many who during these times are in this type of job situation.
What the Experts Say
According to Gretchen Spreitzer, professor of management and organizations at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and coauthor of "Creating Sustainable Performance," people are highly dissatisfied when their job has no meaning or purpose to them, provides little opportunity to learn, or leaves them depleted at the end of the work day.
Whatever the reason you are unhappy, you don't have to just live with it or quit. In fact, even if you are able to find another job, staying put may be the best option. "Job searching and changing jobs is not a trivial matter. It is often costly to career momentum and earnings as much as it is a boon," says Amy Wrzesniewski, an associate professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management and coauthor of "Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want." The good news is that there is usually more leeway to alter your job than you think. "There are often real areas for movement and change that people tend not to recognize," she says. Here's how to make the most of an imperfect job situation.
Look at yourself
Whether or not you are satisfied with your job often has to do with your disposition, says Sigal Barsade, the Joseph Frank Bernstein Professor of Management at The Wharton School. Some people are naturally inclined to be unhappy, while others have a brighter take on life. Before you declare your job a bad fit, take a look at yourself. Barsade says it's worth asking: Are you just the kind of person who tends to be dissatisfied? This understanding may not make you like your job better, but may make you think twice before you look for a new position.
Find meaning
Speitzer's research shows that finding more meaning in your work can dramatically improve job satisfaction. Barsade agrees; she recommends looking at your job responsibilities through a different lens. For example, if your position involves menial tasks, try to remember they are stepping stones to a longer term goal and you won't be doing them forever. Or, if you are in a field that is emotionally taxing, like nursing or social work, remind yourself that while you are tired at the end of the day, you are helping others. It also helps to connect with colleagues. Seek out opportunities to show compassion and express gratitude. Spend time with coworkers you like. "Stronger emotional connections at work lead to a myriad of positive physiological and social effects," says Barsade.
Alter what you do
If you can't change your perspective, you may be able to shift your job responsibilities. And you don't necessarily have to transfer departments or get a promotion to do it. Spreitzer and Wrzesniewski suggest using a job crafting exercise to redesign your job to better fit your motives, strengths, and passions. "Some people make radical moves; others make small changes" in how they delegate or schedule their day, Wrzesniewski says. While the former might require approval from your manager, the latter often doesn't. For example, if your most enjoyable task is talking with clients, but you feel buried in paperwork, you might decide to always speak with clients in the morning, so you're energized to get through the drudge work for the rest of the day. Or you might save talking with your clients until the end of the day as a reward.
Change who you interact with
If it's not the work you dislike but the people you work with, you may be able to change that too. Wrzesniewski says she has seen people successfully alter who they interact with on a daily basis to increase job satisfaction. Focus on forging relationships that give you energy, rather than sapping it. Seek out people who can help you do your job better. Wrzesniewski gives the example of workers at a hospital who were responsible for cleaning patients' rooms. They relied on a centralized dispatch to tell them when rooms were open and what products were safe to use based on the occupant. But dispatch didn't always have the most up-to-date information. This meant the workers couldn't do their jobs as well as they wanted to, leaving them dissatisfied. When they developed relationships with the clerks on each ward, they received more accurate information and were able to do a more efficient job of cleaning. Of course, if your relationship with your boss or your coworkers is especially difficult, you may not be able to work around them. "Job crafting can't turn around any job situation. It's not a cure-all," Wrzesniewski says.
Resist complaining
When you're in the wrong job, it can be tempting to moan about it to others. But it's not advisable. "Complaining about your job is a recipe for trouble. You never know how the complaints may be shared with others in the organization," says Spreitzer. Plus you may drag others down with you. If you are unhappy, it's better to focus on what you can change not grumble about what you can't.
Keep options open
The improvements you make to your job situation may make things more tolerable, but you should always be open to the next thing. "You can improve your job but you can also be on the lookout for new opportunities," says Speitzer. Be sure your resume (e.g. your LinkedIn profile) is up to date and that you are continually meeting people in the field you want to be in.
Principles to Remember
Do:
Make connections with people you like at work
Assess what you don't enjoy about your job so that you can minimize the time you spend doing unwanted tasks
Keep your options open — you may not be able to leave your job now, but circumstances may change
Don't:
Assume that the job is the problem — you may be prone to being dissatisfied
Think you're stuck — there is usually more leeway to alter your job than you think
Complain incessantly about your job and bring others down
Case Study #1: Integrate your interests into the job
Thomas Heffner is an engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, a university-affiliated research center that contracts with the Department of Defense. When Thomas took the job eight years ago, he started off doing purely technical work focusing on radio frequency design and radar analysis. He knew pretty early on that this work wasn't his passion. "So much of what we do is done in isolation. We have classified labs where I might be the only person typing away," he says. About five years into the job, he took on a project manager role, thinking it would allow him to interact more with people. Still most of his tasks — managing schedules, developing contracts, reviewing documentation — involved working alone. Thomas thought about looking for another job, one that suited him better, but he couldn't. He and his wife were having a second child and it wasn't a good time to make a move, especially given the tough job market. Instead, he started taking classes in positive organizational psychology and found ways to integrate this interest into his work. He offered to do presentations on positive organizational scholarship. He first spoke to his own group and then at brown-bag lunches, which were open to everyone in his 5,000-person center. He also approached his company's training and development office about developing a course that uses positive psychology to teach innovation and creativity. The staff in that office encouraged him to create and teach the course. While these new projects are outside of his scope of work, he still does all of the things his project manager role requires. And, he has been able to reduce his administrative workload by delegating certain tasks to his team members who were eager to take them on. "I was able to make room for the things I wanted to do," he says. And it's paid off. "Before I started making changes, my job satisfaction was probably about 3 [on a scale of 1-10]. I'm making small changes; it's nothing earth shattering, but it's now up to a 7." By finding other ways to spend time doing what he enjoys most — learning, teaching others, spending time with people — he believes he can boost that up to an 8 or 9.
Case Study #2: Start doing the job you want
Nine years ago, when Shammy Khan took a job at a contract manufacturer based in Texas, he knew it wasn't the perfect job for him. The position was in account management and required Shammy to handle routine, day-to-day work related to one of the company's clients. Shammy felt his strengths lied elsewhere. "I was more interested in growing businesses and putting deals together than servicing existing clients," he says. Yet he was spending less than 5% of his time doing that. After a year on the job, he completed a job crafting exercise, which helped him realize that he would be happier focusing more on new customer deals, which he saw others doing full time. He approached his manager and explained why he was the right person to cultivate a potential client in a market — large scale electromechanical integration services — the company had never served. His boss was convinced. Shammy's title and role didn't change but he shifted his attention to developing and acquiring the capabilities needed to win the account. The client is now one of his company's top six customers. Based on that success, Shammy was promoted to vice president and is now focused exclusively on new ventures, strategic markets, and business development.
Thank you Amy Gallo for your contributions & sharing this piece- great advice for many who during these times are in this type of job situation.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO- JUST DO IT & CUT YOUR LOSSES!
Break up & find a new partner! Why do organizations stay in relationships with horrible clients? Waiting for better? Waiting for the client culture to change? Pride? Loss of revenue? Too much Skin in The Game already invested? None of these are good enough excuses. This week I heard about two Big MSP players in my space that are "dating" really "wicked ugly" clients. In both cases these MSPs have thrown in so many resources including: time, money, SME consulting power, technology programmers, program managers, account managers, etc! When things are still bad after year 1 of "living together" and you have not made any real progress (OR REAL MONEY)...you may need to break it off! Sometimes you need to kick your client partner to the curb or your organization will get sick! Nothing like a toxic relationship to stop you from pursing other great things. OR Can it be your organization just likes to date ugly and mean? Clean YOURSELF up, go find yourself partners that Value what you Value and align with Healthy, Handsome and Stable client partners. Bring Sexy Back! Think Sexy not Sicko!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
What Types of Questions Should I Be Asking When Performing Discovery with A Prospect?
Go beyond the obvious and conduct a comprehensive Discovery with your prospects...it's at the core of Strategic Selling! Below are some questions that I've used in discovery meetings and in various environments, including health care, life sciences, technology, etc. – adjust to the specific niche. KNOW your customer's Industry Drivers and later address your customer's Business Objectives. Sit down with your prospect over several meetings...it builds the relationship!
Discovery Questions:
***What system or business unit are you a part of?
***Does your facility/ organization purchase services through a GPO, system corp. office or independently?
***Are clinical, general, IT and professional staffing services procured through different teams?
***Is your contingent workforce currently being managed through an MSP/ MV/ VMS relationship?
***What functions of your business are you outsourcing?
***What technology initiatives have you rolled out in the past 12 months/ are on your radar for the next 12 months?
***Are you outsourcing MAJOR strategic initiatives (PWC? other consulting firm) or managing these initiatives internally?
***How is the FDA (other regulatory agency) impacting your business?
***Have you launched any new products in the past 12 months?
***How are you packaging/ shipping the products -internally or externally?
***Do you formulate and manufacture your products or does a 3rd. party private label supplier?
***What is your current census/ are your membership numbers? Future # goals?
***How do you plan for enrollment (call center/ seasonal spikes)?
***What is your growth/ expansion strategy – office/ practice openings? Global?
***How do you manage special or SOW projects?
***How are you right sizing and positioning your business for upcoming health care reform (any govmt. reform)?
***Are you introducing any new plans or products in a new market?
***How do you manage customer, member (patient) support?
***What is your executive succession planning strategy (who is being groomed)?
***How is your business model changing/ going to change in the upcoming year?
***How are you vetting Independent Contractors? Are you using payroll services to bring back a retired, semi retired workforce?
***What is your Blended Workforce strategy?
***How are you tracking Diversity Vendor/ Supplier spend in your programs?
***What tools/ strategies/ resources are you utlizing for Workforce Planning?
***Are you consolidating operations or moving towards a Share Services Hub(s) operational model?
***What contingent workforce models (and which vendors) have you utilized in the past? What's worked for you? What hasn't worked for you?
***What Board Members and Sr. Executives are stake holders in People Services & your Total Workforce?
Discovery Questions:
***What system or business unit are you a part of?
***Does your facility/ organization purchase services through a GPO, system corp. office or independently?
***Are clinical, general, IT and professional staffing services procured through different teams?
***Is your contingent workforce currently being managed through an MSP/ MV/ VMS relationship?
***What functions of your business are you outsourcing?
***What technology initiatives have you rolled out in the past 12 months/ are on your radar for the next 12 months?
***Are you outsourcing MAJOR strategic initiatives (PWC? other consulting firm) or managing these initiatives internally?
***How is the FDA (other regulatory agency) impacting your business?
***Have you launched any new products in the past 12 months?
***How are you packaging/ shipping the products -internally or externally?
***Do you formulate and manufacture your products or does a 3rd. party private label supplier?
***What is your current census/ are your membership numbers? Future # goals?
***How do you plan for enrollment (call center/ seasonal spikes)?
***What is your growth/ expansion strategy – office/ practice openings? Global?
***How do you manage special or SOW projects?
***How are you right sizing and positioning your business for upcoming health care reform (any govmt. reform)?
***Are you introducing any new plans or products in a new market?
***How do you manage customer, member (patient) support?
***What is your executive succession planning strategy (who is being groomed)?
***How is your business model changing/ going to change in the upcoming year?
***How are you vetting Independent Contractors? Are you using payroll services to bring back a retired, semi retired workforce?
***What is your Blended Workforce strategy?
***How are you tracking Diversity Vendor/ Supplier spend in your programs?
***What tools/ strategies/ resources are you utlizing for Workforce Planning?
***Are you consolidating operations or moving towards a Share Services Hub(s) operational model?
***What contingent workforce models (and which vendors) have you utilized in the past? What's worked for you? What hasn't worked for you?
***What Board Members and Sr. Executives are stake holders in People Services & your Total Workforce?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Strategic vs. Reactive - Which Describes Your Business?
Are you strategic or just reactive? Today, Fedex CEO announced that he sees the whole industry shifting. If you were their talent/ HR Solutions supplier- What would you be doing NOW to address new industry drivers? What new solutions would you be proactively designing/ offering to address Fedex business objectives? What discussions would you be having with their executive team? Is Fedex your client? Were you aware of this? Just sayin'! :) Via Linkedin & Twitter.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Using Social Media to Create REAL RELATIONSHIPS!
I have been PREACHING about this topic for YEARS! Virtual Relationships are not Real Relationships. Technology can be a great way to connect and gain an introduction, after that, it's real work, effort, time, investment, friendship...that will forge a great relationship. I use the example of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg...when he married last month less than 100 REAL FRIENDS attended his backyard wedding (intimate setting)...and half of those friends were part of his bride's party! The man who created FB & has millions of virtual friends and only 100 made it to his nuptials! Here is a great piece on creating real relationships using Social Media... enjoy, and make real friends!
Ted Rubin is a leading social marketing strategist and the chief social marketing officer at Collective Bias. In 2009, Rubin started using the term ROR, Return on Relationship™, a concept he believes is the cornerstone for building an engaged multi-million member database. His book, Return on Relationship, is out in August. Follow him @TedRubin.
If you want to continue to reach your market in the social media age, the marketing focus needs to be on building relationships, and metrics need to expand beyond ROI. In fact, ROI is simple dollars and cents. But a return on relationship is the value — both perceived and real — that will accrue over time through connection, loyalty, recommendations, and sharing. That’s what any marketer actually wants, and here’s how to do it.
Don’t Just Act Authentic
This might seem obvious, but authenticity is on the verge of becoming just another buzz word in social media marketing. True authenticity — not just using that word often in your tweets and posts — will set your brand (product or personal) apart in today’s highly competitive market. Followers and advocates can and will sniff out a fake in a heartbeat.
The only way to be authentic is to be authentic. For example, don’t filter out your brand’s negative feedback. No one believes 100% positive claims on a website or social pages anyway. Make all feedback public. Then honestly address any claims around the negative feedback, and give your followers the tools to tell their truth about you and your brand because that is what people trust, and what they trust they will buy.
Be Real to Create Trust
We are hearing so much now about social media creating a shift from ‘the wisdom of crowds’’ to ‘the wisdom of friends’’, but what does that really mean for brand advocacy? A lot. It’s this ‘wisdom of friends’ that brings a new social power to brand advocacy. The payoff is a long-term and personal relationship that creates brand advocates and an emotional connection that drives influence. Brand advocates are those people who are so delighted by your product/service/brand that they can’t wait to tell their friends and their whole social networks about the experience. To achieve such an enriching relationship, communication must be relevant and have a distinct and authentic personality.
Take Care of Your Advocates
Successful social media marketing is all about relationships, with the highest return coming from relationships with your brand advocates. Friends trust friends who are advocates. They will purchase a recommended product and, if that experience is everything they hoped for, a new advocate is born and the cycle continues. Advocates are an incredible asset now more than ever. Treat them as such.
Be an Actual Friend
The way you engage with people makes an impression no matter what tool you are using. Look at your own behaviors and ask yourself, “Would I want to be my friend?” Are you noticing and affirming the value of individuals and groups in your network? Are you genuinely interested and paying attention to the people behind the texts and words on a screen? Are you going out of your way to be of service to others in your network? That’s the kind of friend I would want to have and to be.
For example, it is unbelievable how many people never bother to connect after an event, or even fail to add who they met into their contacts file. What a complete and utter waste of time. So be the one who does. Add people to your contact file, and connect with them via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Make a note with every entry where you met (name of event and date), and anything else you remember or had the presence of mind to write on the card. Then, when and if you have an email exchange, cut and paste that email in the notes section so you will always have a point of reference when connecting again in the future.
Forget the adage Win/Win and make a commitment to Learn/Learn. Win/Win is good, but implies an end. Once you win, then what? Learn/Learn creates a paradigm of ongoing value. This creates a Learn/Learn situation. I learn about you and you learn about me. And we learn from each other.
Ted Rubin is a leading social marketing strategist and the chief social marketing officer at Collective Bias. In 2009, Rubin started using the term ROR, Return on Relationship™, a concept he believes is the cornerstone for building an engaged multi-million member database. His book, Return on Relationship, is out in August. Follow him @TedRubin.
If you want to continue to reach your market in the social media age, the marketing focus needs to be on building relationships, and metrics need to expand beyond ROI. In fact, ROI is simple dollars and cents. But a return on relationship is the value — both perceived and real — that will accrue over time through connection, loyalty, recommendations, and sharing. That’s what any marketer actually wants, and here’s how to do it.
Don’t Just Act Authentic
This might seem obvious, but authenticity is on the verge of becoming just another buzz word in social media marketing. True authenticity — not just using that word often in your tweets and posts — will set your brand (product or personal) apart in today’s highly competitive market. Followers and advocates can and will sniff out a fake in a heartbeat.
The only way to be authentic is to be authentic. For example, don’t filter out your brand’s negative feedback. No one believes 100% positive claims on a website or social pages anyway. Make all feedback public. Then honestly address any claims around the negative feedback, and give your followers the tools to tell their truth about you and your brand because that is what people trust, and what they trust they will buy.
Be Real to Create Trust
We are hearing so much now about social media creating a shift from ‘the wisdom of crowds’’ to ‘the wisdom of friends’’, but what does that really mean for brand advocacy? A lot. It’s this ‘wisdom of friends’ that brings a new social power to brand advocacy. The payoff is a long-term and personal relationship that creates brand advocates and an emotional connection that drives influence. Brand advocates are those people who are so delighted by your product/service/brand that they can’t wait to tell their friends and their whole social networks about the experience. To achieve such an enriching relationship, communication must be relevant and have a distinct and authentic personality.
Take Care of Your Advocates
Successful social media marketing is all about relationships, with the highest return coming from relationships with your brand advocates. Friends trust friends who are advocates. They will purchase a recommended product and, if that experience is everything they hoped for, a new advocate is born and the cycle continues. Advocates are an incredible asset now more than ever. Treat them as such.
Be an Actual Friend
The way you engage with people makes an impression no matter what tool you are using. Look at your own behaviors and ask yourself, “Would I want to be my friend?” Are you noticing and affirming the value of individuals and groups in your network? Are you genuinely interested and paying attention to the people behind the texts and words on a screen? Are you going out of your way to be of service to others in your network? That’s the kind of friend I would want to have and to be.
For example, it is unbelievable how many people never bother to connect after an event, or even fail to add who they met into their contacts file. What a complete and utter waste of time. So be the one who does. Add people to your contact file, and connect with them via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Make a note with every entry where you met (name of event and date), and anything else you remember or had the presence of mind to write on the card. Then, when and if you have an email exchange, cut and paste that email in the notes section so you will always have a point of reference when connecting again in the future.
Forget the adage Win/Win and make a commitment to Learn/Learn. Win/Win is good, but implies an end. Once you win, then what? Learn/Learn creates a paradigm of ongoing value. This creates a Learn/Learn situation. I learn about you and you learn about me. And we learn from each other.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Hey HR/ Staffing/ HR Tech- CEO, EVP, President, Owner, VP, Exec., Manager! What have YOU done to support a GREAT CAUSE?
What have YOU done to support a GREAT CAUSE? I ask this question to all those in my industry...HR, HR Solutions Firms, Staffing, Executive Search, RPO/VMS/MSP/ BPO, Talent Management, Training & Development, HR Tech, HR Legal, etc. Don't wait until your VP of Marketing or PR volunteers you to participate in a program that will raise funds and BRAND awareness on behalf of the company you work for…(that's great and all)...but do it on your own! Really feel it! Dedicate yourself to a cause you truly believe in and give back to the community in which you serve.
I have collaborated with some of the top Executive Compensation Consulting Firms and I KNOW HOW MUCH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES MAKE in the HR/ STAFFING space. I’ve made great money too in this industry. (Shall I publish the Total Comp. & Rewards on my BLOG?) I am sure you can afford to give a few bucks back to organizations/ people in need and take that tax write off too! At the very least, share yourself with others through formal and continuous mentorships and in-kind/ volunteer work. You are a Rock Star in your field…spread your knowledge, wealth and stardom! It will come back to you… and lots of photo op sessions too to promote your company and yourself. I know you’d love that! Don't just give because you are FORCED to give. With great wealth and power, comes great stewardship and responsibility. Give what you can and do it with passion for your cause.
Here is my cause! We (The Cardoza Clan of California) gave from the heart (Con Todo Corazon)! http://support.teamusa.org/site/DocServer/Friends_and_Family_Program.pdf?docID=521
Thank you all very much! You guys ROCK!
Kindest personal regards.
Mitch Cardoza
Dear Mitch,
Thank you for your generous gift to the United States Olympic Committee and for being a Friends and Family Sponsor! We also thank you for your contributions to RaiseOurFlag.org .
Not only will your gift help create the American flag that will be presented, along with Team USA, at the 2012 London Olympic Games, it helps ensure that America's elite athletes have everything they need as they countdown the last few weeks until the Games.
Learn more about the project, our athletes and the training essentials your stitches may help provide by visiting RaiseOurFlag.org.
Right now, our athletes are training their hardest, fine tuning their skills and making their final preparations for the Games. And it's important that they know they have the support of patriotic Americans like you.
So thank you once again for helping us Raise Our Flag in support of Team USA.
Sincerely,
Janine Alfano Musholt
Chief Development Officer,
United States Olympic Committee
I have collaborated with some of the top Executive Compensation Consulting Firms and I KNOW HOW MUCH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES MAKE in the HR/ STAFFING space. I’ve made great money too in this industry. (Shall I publish the Total Comp. & Rewards on my BLOG?) I am sure you can afford to give a few bucks back to organizations/ people in need and take that tax write off too! At the very least, share yourself with others through formal and continuous mentorships and in-kind/ volunteer work. You are a Rock Star in your field…spread your knowledge, wealth and stardom! It will come back to you… and lots of photo op sessions too to promote your company and yourself. I know you’d love that! Don't just give because you are FORCED to give. With great wealth and power, comes great stewardship and responsibility. Give what you can and do it with passion for your cause.
Here is my cause! We (The Cardoza Clan of California) gave from the heart (Con Todo Corazon)! http://support.teamusa.org/site/DocServer/Friends_and_Family_Program.pdf?docID=521
Thank you all very much! You guys ROCK!
Kindest personal regards.
Mitch Cardoza
Dear Mitch,
Thank you for your generous gift to the United States Olympic Committee and for being a Friends and Family Sponsor! We also thank you for your contributions to RaiseOurFlag.org .
Not only will your gift help create the American flag that will be presented, along with Team USA, at the 2012 London Olympic Games, it helps ensure that America's elite athletes have everything they need as they countdown the last few weeks until the Games.
Learn more about the project, our athletes and the training essentials your stitches may help provide by visiting RaiseOurFlag.org.
Right now, our athletes are training their hardest, fine tuning their skills and making their final preparations for the Games. And it's important that they know they have the support of patriotic Americans like you.
So thank you once again for helping us Raise Our Flag in support of Team USA.
Sincerely,
Janine Alfano Musholt
Chief Development Officer,
United States Olympic Committee
Friday, June 15, 2012
Here is the PDF application link to becoming an Olympic Friends and Family Supporter! http://support.teamusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TeamUSA_Friends_and_Family
FREE AGENTS, FLEXIBLE & BLENDED WORKFORCE MODELS, GEN Y - The New World of Work!
The blended workforce is nothing new. Companies have always relied on both employees and contingent, or free agent, workers, and oftentimes have them working side-by-side. Traditionally, however, companies recognized and managed talent as a function focused on employees, those traditional “full-time, W-2 workers” who put in a forty-hour work week and collect benefits. Companies would augment their employees with flexible workers — contingents, temporary staff, contractors, and others who would provide support to fill in gaps that didn’t require hiring a traditional employee. From the employee perspective, the focus was even simpler. When looking for employment, a worker typically sought a full-time job. A contract assignment or temporary position might fill a gap, but usually only until something more permanent came along.
Today, that view has changed. According to the Staffing Industry Analysts 2011 Contingent Buyers Survey, one dollar of every eight earned is paid to an independent worker. Unlike many temporary trends, the recent rise of the free agent and contingent workforce has multiple contributing factors.
---Globalization opens more opportunity for workers
First, there is the globalization of business. Companies are not only operating across boundaries of nations and regions, but they have access to workers around the world, which means more options for workers themselves, and more opportunities for companies to access the skills they need, when they need them—all of which make a flexible work style a viable career choice.
---Scarcity of skills places premium on critical talent
Along with globalization, general trends in the talent marketplace are also having an effect. While unemployment figures would suggest a large availability of talent, that figure is significantly lower for highly educated workers, and salary averages reflect that scarcity. Rather than simply focusing on temporary talent needs, companies may have to engage contingent workers or contractors for skilled, strategically important roles. Otherwise, they could endure a long, expensive search for full-time employees to perform the same work that a free agent could provide, and they may still never find the talent they need.
---Changing demographics add to the free agent mix
Changing demographics are also important. A large and highly skilled section of the population is reaching retirement age. Many of those workers don’t want, or can’t afford, full retirement, but they also don’t want the commitment of full-time employment — they want to apply their skills, receive the best compensation available, and have the freedom to choose where and how they work. For them, a free agent approach is preferable.
Another end of the spectrum is the emerging new generation of young, skilled workers. They have options that their parents likely did not have. They can work virtually. They can apply their skills to a particular project, and then find themselves in demand for another project by a different company almost instantly. They are growing up with the idea that non-traditional work is a viable option that delivers a consistent income.
Together, the influences of multiple factors, from changing demographics to globalization and skills shortages, point to the rise of the free agent and the need for a blended workforce model as something more than a short-term trend. It is a permanent market reality.
Today, that view has changed. According to the Staffing Industry Analysts 2011 Contingent Buyers Survey, one dollar of every eight earned is paid to an independent worker. Unlike many temporary trends, the recent rise of the free agent and contingent workforce has multiple contributing factors.
---Globalization opens more opportunity for workers
First, there is the globalization of business. Companies are not only operating across boundaries of nations and regions, but they have access to workers around the world, which means more options for workers themselves, and more opportunities for companies to access the skills they need, when they need them—all of which make a flexible work style a viable career choice.
---Scarcity of skills places premium on critical talent
Along with globalization, general trends in the talent marketplace are also having an effect. While unemployment figures would suggest a large availability of talent, that figure is significantly lower for highly educated workers, and salary averages reflect that scarcity. Rather than simply focusing on temporary talent needs, companies may have to engage contingent workers or contractors for skilled, strategically important roles. Otherwise, they could endure a long, expensive search for full-time employees to perform the same work that a free agent could provide, and they may still never find the talent they need.
---Changing demographics add to the free agent mix
Changing demographics are also important. A large and highly skilled section of the population is reaching retirement age. Many of those workers don’t want, or can’t afford, full retirement, but they also don’t want the commitment of full-time employment — they want to apply their skills, receive the best compensation available, and have the freedom to choose where and how they work. For them, a free agent approach is preferable.
Another end of the spectrum is the emerging new generation of young, skilled workers. They have options that their parents likely did not have. They can work virtually. They can apply their skills to a particular project, and then find themselves in demand for another project by a different company almost instantly. They are growing up with the idea that non-traditional work is a viable option that delivers a consistent income.
Together, the influences of multiple factors, from changing demographics to globalization and skills shortages, point to the rise of the free agent and the need for a blended workforce model as something more than a short-term trend. It is a permanent market reality.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Why am I so damn loyal to certain brands, products & services? Customer Experience & Overall Quality & Satisfaction!
Do you take great pride on your company’s customer service department? Are you aware how your customer service personnel treat customer service calls? Do you sometimes confuse the customer experience with your primary branding efforts? How do your customers experience dealing with your brand? Knowing the answers to these questions is crucial to determine how your customers feel about your business, your products and the services you provide to them.
Defining "Customer Experience"
Primarily, customer experience is meeting your customers’ wants and needs, while creating long-term, loyal relationships. First, you must understand what your customer expects when dealing with your company.
Once you know what your customers want, give it to them. You must deliver this level of service consistently, every time they call, visit or write. Christine Mauro, writing for MarketingProfs.com, outlined valuable tips for creating a consistently positive customer experience. Consider using these features to build the long-standing customer relationships you want:
Meet Your Current Customers’ Wants and Needs – Surprised? Probably not. First, understand your customer base. Are they 20-, 30- or 40-somethings? Teenagers or seniors? Wants and needs for these groups differ widely. Understanding the difference helps you create outstanding customer experience features. This, then, generates loyal, buying and engaged customers.
Understand Your Desired Customer Outcome – How do you want your customers to feel about your company? Define the result you want for your customers and take all action to make it happen exactly as you envision it. For example, if you want to make it easy for customers to exchange one product for another, make it easy for them to do so. They will be happy and you will have achieved your customer experience goal.
Make Their Experience as Personal as Possible – Customize your operations to make customers feel that they are important as individuals, not just revenue producers. For example, sending or responding to emails involving customer questions should, whenever, possible include their name and any other personal information you have that is pertinent. Your customers will, consciously or subconsciously, feel good about your organization.
Additional Components that Help Your Company Achieve Wonderful Customer Experience
Be Clear and Understandable – Do not communicate with customers by using intercompany codes or insider slang or jargon. Concentrate on being clear, using a “voice” and words that should be understood by the majority of the population. Answer customer inquiries pleasantly and conversationally. This further enhances the “personal” customer experience quotient.
Understand That Customers View Your Company as One Entity – Your organization may have many departments and diverse groups responsible for different functions. However, your customers see your company as one, integrated organization. Mauro describes this as “aligning touch points.” All functional departments should operate as one fine-tuned machine when relating to your customers.
Address All Details – Even if your website looks totally fabulous, your customer experience level could suffer if you forget to address all details on various pages. Proofread and examine each word or graphic image in every area of your website. Be sure your site is easy to navigate, filled with useful information. Don’t neglect your terms and conditions page or agreement. Emphasize to your legal counsel that, while you want to be legally protected, you want your non-attorney customers to read – and understand – your terms of use. These simple details, often overlooked, can improve, or detract from, developing loyal customers.
Keep Your Superior Customer Experience Goal at the Forefront of All Policies – Keep your “eyes on the prize.” Give your customers multiple reasons to become loyal, engaged fans of your company. Even those people who are only subconsciously aware of how they “feel” about your organization, become more or less loyal based on their customer experience.
Treating the customer experience factor as only a branding effort lowers the value of the entire customer service, focus and full experience feature. While important to your branding strategy, improving your customer experience quotient delivers long-term benefits – including increased revenue – to your company.
You’re probably aware that keeping current customers happy and engaged is much less expensive than creating new fans. However, focusing on outstanding customer experience features will keep your loyal, happy fans, while also generating new, soon-to-be-happy customers who then should become pleased with the relationship over the long term.
Consider integrating these suggestions into your branding, marketing and customer service strategies. If you currently use some of these tips, continue or increase them. Evaluate those suggestions that you feel are not current components of your strategies. Implement those elements that you believe will enhance your customer experience level. Your bottom line will be as pleasant to read as your customers are to tout the wonders of doing business with your organization.
Defining "Customer Experience"
Primarily, customer experience is meeting your customers’ wants and needs, while creating long-term, loyal relationships. First, you must understand what your customer expects when dealing with your company.
Once you know what your customers want, give it to them. You must deliver this level of service consistently, every time they call, visit or write. Christine Mauro, writing for MarketingProfs.com, outlined valuable tips for creating a consistently positive customer experience. Consider using these features to build the long-standing customer relationships you want:
Meet Your Current Customers’ Wants and Needs – Surprised? Probably not. First, understand your customer base. Are they 20-, 30- or 40-somethings? Teenagers or seniors? Wants and needs for these groups differ widely. Understanding the difference helps you create outstanding customer experience features. This, then, generates loyal, buying and engaged customers.
Understand Your Desired Customer Outcome – How do you want your customers to feel about your company? Define the result you want for your customers and take all action to make it happen exactly as you envision it. For example, if you want to make it easy for customers to exchange one product for another, make it easy for them to do so. They will be happy and you will have achieved your customer experience goal.
Make Their Experience as Personal as Possible – Customize your operations to make customers feel that they are important as individuals, not just revenue producers. For example, sending or responding to emails involving customer questions should, whenever, possible include their name and any other personal information you have that is pertinent. Your customers will, consciously or subconsciously, feel good about your organization.
Additional Components that Help Your Company Achieve Wonderful Customer Experience
Be Clear and Understandable – Do not communicate with customers by using intercompany codes or insider slang or jargon. Concentrate on being clear, using a “voice” and words that should be understood by the majority of the population. Answer customer inquiries pleasantly and conversationally. This further enhances the “personal” customer experience quotient.
Understand That Customers View Your Company as One Entity – Your organization may have many departments and diverse groups responsible for different functions. However, your customers see your company as one, integrated organization. Mauro describes this as “aligning touch points.” All functional departments should operate as one fine-tuned machine when relating to your customers.
Address All Details – Even if your website looks totally fabulous, your customer experience level could suffer if you forget to address all details on various pages. Proofread and examine each word or graphic image in every area of your website. Be sure your site is easy to navigate, filled with useful information. Don’t neglect your terms and conditions page or agreement. Emphasize to your legal counsel that, while you want to be legally protected, you want your non-attorney customers to read – and understand – your terms of use. These simple details, often overlooked, can improve, or detract from, developing loyal customers.
Keep Your Superior Customer Experience Goal at the Forefront of All Policies – Keep your “eyes on the prize.” Give your customers multiple reasons to become loyal, engaged fans of your company. Even those people who are only subconsciously aware of how they “feel” about your organization, become more or less loyal based on their customer experience.
Treating the customer experience factor as only a branding effort lowers the value of the entire customer service, focus and full experience feature. While important to your branding strategy, improving your customer experience quotient delivers long-term benefits – including increased revenue – to your company.
You’re probably aware that keeping current customers happy and engaged is much less expensive than creating new fans. However, focusing on outstanding customer experience features will keep your loyal, happy fans, while also generating new, soon-to-be-happy customers who then should become pleased with the relationship over the long term.
Consider integrating these suggestions into your branding, marketing and customer service strategies. If you currently use some of these tips, continue or increase them. Evaluate those suggestions that you feel are not current components of your strategies. Implement those elements that you believe will enhance your customer experience level. Your bottom line will be as pleasant to read as your customers are to tout the wonders of doing business with your organization.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
What are the traits and competencies of an awesome MSP Account Manager? Don't try and take a staffing branch manager and place them into a program manager role without proper growth & training!
Defined key attributes of an Account Manager (MSP Program Manager/ Director)
Develops, communicates and drives Strategic Account Plan
Involves key markets and countries in planning process
Creates Marketing Strategy:
Brand awareness
Client satisfaction and Loyalty
Program Launch/Relaunch
Ensures Client Satisfaction
Reviews delivery and operational metrics regularly with Field Management
Creates and drives improvement plans
Drives Account understanding and excitement with Field
Monthly/Quarterly update calls
Reviews Opportunities, Challenges and performance Scorecard(s)
Develops Sphere of Influence at client - This person is your organization's Secret Weapon in taking the relationship to that of a TRUSTED ADVISOR
Highly Networked- New Contacts engaged regularly, documented in CRM/ Database
Goes beyond HR and Procurement, gets into the business
Monitors all contract compliance, ie, audits, rebates/discounts, DSO, renewals
Drives a sense of urgency for opportunities and challenges, and everything else
Ensures all details and activities are in CRM/ Database
Involves key markets and countries in planning process
Creates Marketing Strategy:
Brand awareness
Client satisfaction and Loyalty
Program Launch/Relaunch
Ensures Client Satisfaction
Reviews delivery and operational metrics regularly with Field Management
Creates and drives improvement plans
Drives Account understanding and excitement with Field
Monthly/Quarterly update calls
Reviews Opportunities, Challenges and performance Scorecard(s)
Develops Sphere of Influence at client - This person is your organization's Secret Weapon in taking the relationship to that of a TRUSTED ADVISOR
Highly Networked- New Contacts engaged regularly, documented in CRM/ Database
Goes beyond HR and Procurement, gets into the business
Monitors all contract compliance, ie, audits, rebates/discounts, DSO, renewals
Drives a sense of urgency for opportunities and challenges, and everything else
Ensures all details and activities are in CRM/ Database
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
In Enterprise Sales, Be Careful What You Wish For! You Can't Handle Every Type Of Client!
Special Counsel Note/ Enterprise
Monday, June 11, 2012
When times get tough, leaders and companies do some strange things!
I received a sad call today from a National Director of a Top 3 staffing/ HR solutions company. I tried to be the shoulder to cry on and provided some support and reality based reflection on the situation that is taking place at this organization… and others like it. Companies/ leaders love to talk about innovative/ progressive things and promote their employees when times are great but it takes a forward thinking company to do this when the economy is down and revenues are tougher to secure.
Why would a top 3 global staffing company invest in the health care vertical & then quit it due to executive team’s short term vision and impatience? Why would that same organization keep a dinosaur to run their Science/ Medical & Engineering divisions… and continue to lose market share in those sectors? The company I am referring to can't even fill tech/ professional/ health care jobs in one of the hottest markets (S.F. Bay area). WTF? Answers: 1) They reward their tenured, complacent players that in reality are Idea Killers and don’t promote the Game Changers. 2) They rely on Generation One traditional revenue, stale staffing/ solution models and legacy clients. 3) They claim to be innovators, when in reality they are followers, taking tiny steps, not bold ones. 4) They quit before gaining traction in particular solutions sector- Rome was not built in a day, baby! 5) They acquire dynamic and entrepreneurial companies to increase their size and expertise but end up killing the culture of the companies they acquired…& in the process kill the revenues they lusted over… and talented people leave! 6) They don’t give people the right tools, leadership or time needed to be successful! Just sayin’!
More details on my blog soon! Are you working for an organization such as this? You are not alone. If you are an executive and seeing this happen before your eyes (or worst, engaged in this type of behavior)…take a stance and do something about it. Don’t just BS your employees and reward your minions and Yes Men to keep your job alive… and then claim what little successes your employees have had and promote them as your very own. Every Dog Has His Day! And as we move into a more transparent way of looking at business, your days are numbered. Change your ways and be a hero… or try and get your rest because you are beginning to look old and haggard!
Why would a top 3 global staffing company invest in the health care vertical & then quit it due to executive team’s short term vision and impatience? Why would that same organization keep a dinosaur to run their Science/ Medical & Engineering divisions… and continue to lose market share in those sectors? The company I am referring to can't even fill tech/ professional/ health care jobs in one of the hottest markets (S.F. Bay area). WTF? Answers: 1) They reward their tenured, complacent players that in reality are Idea Killers and don’t promote the Game Changers. 2) They rely on Generation One traditional revenue, stale staffing/ solution models and legacy clients. 3) They claim to be innovators, when in reality they are followers, taking tiny steps, not bold ones. 4) They quit before gaining traction in particular solutions sector- Rome was not built in a day, baby! 5) They acquire dynamic and entrepreneurial companies to increase their size and expertise but end up killing the culture of the companies they acquired…& in the process kill the revenues they lusted over… and talented people leave! 6) They don’t give people the right tools, leadership or time needed to be successful! Just sayin’!
More details on my blog soon! Are you working for an organization such as this? You are not alone. If you are an executive and seeing this happen before your eyes (or worst, engaged in this type of behavior)…take a stance and do something about it. Don’t just BS your employees and reward your minions and Yes Men to keep your job alive… and then claim what little successes your employees have had and promote them as your very own. Every Dog Has His Day! And as we move into a more transparent way of looking at business, your days are numbered. Change your ways and be a hero… or try and get your rest because you are beginning to look old and haggard!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Let Me, Help You!
I enjoy connecting the communities in which I serve to Best-in-Class resources. If you are an HR or Talent Acquisition Professional, Supply Chain Executive, or HR Solutions Executive…let me help you by answering any questions you may have on the following topics/ initiatives:
Temporary Staffing
Managed Staffing/ Managed Service Programs (MSP)
VMS Technology
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
Payrolling
1099 IC Compliance
SOW Management
Diversity Supplier Management
Health Care Recruitment
Workforce Planning
Specialized Verticals
Agency Start Up and Turn Around Support
Vendor Vetting and Selection
Funding and Financial Resources
Buying or Selling an HR Solutions Business
With 20 years of industry experience, I won’t steer you wrong and I will give you Reality Based/ Unbiased Advice. More importantly, if I don’t have the answer, I will connect you to a reputable resource within my network that will guide you with expertise advice and resources! Call me at 949.981.0055 or email me at mitchcardoza@gmail.com
Temporary Staffing
Managed Staffing/ Managed Service Programs (MSP)
VMS Technology
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
Payrolling
1099 IC Compliance
SOW Management
Diversity Supplier Management
Health Care Recruitment
Workforce Planning
Specialized Verticals
Agency Start Up and Turn Around Support
Vendor Vetting and Selection
Funding and Financial Resources
Buying or Selling an HR Solutions Business
With 20 years of industry experience, I won’t steer you wrong and I will give you Reality Based/ Unbiased Advice. More importantly, if I don’t have the answer, I will connect you to a reputable resource within my network that will guide you with expertise advice and resources! Call me at 949.981.0055 or email me at mitchcardoza@gmail.com
Tips To Avoid Talent Acquisition Culture Shock
Many companies are experiencing slow or cautious growth. Others are, or soon will be, wrestling with sudden spikes in growth or customer demand. During times of abrupt expansion, companies often overlook how rapid growth affects the company’s culture.
Unfortunately, many companies today find that their talent acquisition strategies lag in their ability to respond to these immediate needs. In fact, our recent workforce trends study revealed that many organizations are simply not updating their talent acquisition strategies often enough.
What does growth have to do with a company’s culture? It’s a shock to the system, literally.
Culture shock can ensue when a company has a great influx of new employees or even large numbers of temporary employees, consultants, or independent contractors. Further, companies that choose to sit back and rely on static or outdated strategies for sourcing and recruiting talent risk compounding the effects of the shock.
Recently, a few articles highlighted the issues surrounding culture and change. Most notably, an article at The Hiring Site highlighted how difficult avoiding culture shock can be when a company grows and expands, sometimes at an unexpectedly fast pace.
Interestingly, the article doesn’t touch on talent acquisition strategies or the various staffing solutions a company should use in tandem with expansion. I think that’s an important starting point.
How did you address the need to add workers, skills, and recruiting resources in the first place? The method can have a great impact on the amount of culture shock your company endures.
Here are a few tips for reducing the initial culture shock that might accompany the need to hire large numbers of workers.
• Align talent acquisition and recruiting strategies with your culture. Don’t try to fit a square-peg outsourcing strategy into a round-hole company, especially if your organization is very internally focused or hierarchical. A recent Wall Street Journal article shed light on four types of company cultures. The breakdown is based on how an organization functions internally, including communication, decision making, and its methods for promotions. Think about the values that fuel your culture as you look for the most fitting solution.
• Forecast and plan for what is likely to occur. Get your resources in line and online before you need them. Most programs, especially large MSP or RPO programs, take a few months to ramp up. If you take a few months to decide you need to do something, then another six months to choose a provider, you’re already set back almost a year.
• Build agility into your talent acquisition strategies. Once you have all your options ready to go, be willing to change from one solution to the next if needed. For example, you might need to move from temporary staffing to permanent or vice versa. Identify which areas can benefit from specific types of staffing solutions. Then set the expectation that you might have to make adjustments as conditions change.
• Even the best companies have to deal with culture crises from time to time. Based on the results of a workforce study, it seems that some crises can be avoided if a company successfully factors company culture into the workforce equation. Organizations need to align and prepare their company’s talent acquisition strategies and staffing solutions to fit their culture.
• Prescreening also plays a big role in hiring the right people for the job (temp or perm). A company needs to screen for the right core competencies. So, if you are a non profit organization that is looking for development and fund raising talent, a candidate that has worked and developed their experience and core competencies in the for profit financial services industries or on Wall Street, may not be the best fit for your non profit/ charitable organization… as this type of candidate may not find your organization is a good fit for them and vice versa. Using behavioral interviewing techniques, checking references and administering personality profiling assessments may help you vet the right candidate. You'll be happy and so will the employee---and your culture won't suffer.
Thanks to the following sources: Matt Rivera, The Wall Street Journal, The Hiring Site & Us Here At Strategic Workforce Consultants
Unfortunately, many companies today find that their talent acquisition strategies lag in their ability to respond to these immediate needs. In fact, our recent workforce trends study revealed that many organizations are simply not updating their talent acquisition strategies often enough.
What does growth have to do with a company’s culture? It’s a shock to the system, literally.
Culture shock can ensue when a company has a great influx of new employees or even large numbers of temporary employees, consultants, or independent contractors. Further, companies that choose to sit back and rely on static or outdated strategies for sourcing and recruiting talent risk compounding the effects of the shock.
Recently, a few articles highlighted the issues surrounding culture and change. Most notably, an article at The Hiring Site highlighted how difficult avoiding culture shock can be when a company grows and expands, sometimes at an unexpectedly fast pace.
Interestingly, the article doesn’t touch on talent acquisition strategies or the various staffing solutions a company should use in tandem with expansion. I think that’s an important starting point.
How did you address the need to add workers, skills, and recruiting resources in the first place? The method can have a great impact on the amount of culture shock your company endures.
Here are a few tips for reducing the initial culture shock that might accompany the need to hire large numbers of workers.
• Align talent acquisition and recruiting strategies with your culture. Don’t try to fit a square-peg outsourcing strategy into a round-hole company, especially if your organization is very internally focused or hierarchical. A recent Wall Street Journal article shed light on four types of company cultures. The breakdown is based on how an organization functions internally, including communication, decision making, and its methods for promotions. Think about the values that fuel your culture as you look for the most fitting solution.
• Forecast and plan for what is likely to occur. Get your resources in line and online before you need them. Most programs, especially large MSP or RPO programs, take a few months to ramp up. If you take a few months to decide you need to do something, then another six months to choose a provider, you’re already set back almost a year.
• Build agility into your talent acquisition strategies. Once you have all your options ready to go, be willing to change from one solution to the next if needed. For example, you might need to move from temporary staffing to permanent or vice versa. Identify which areas can benefit from specific types of staffing solutions. Then set the expectation that you might have to make adjustments as conditions change.
• Even the best companies have to deal with culture crises from time to time. Based on the results of a workforce study, it seems that some crises can be avoided if a company successfully factors company culture into the workforce equation. Organizations need to align and prepare their company’s talent acquisition strategies and staffing solutions to fit their culture.
• Prescreening also plays a big role in hiring the right people for the job (temp or perm). A company needs to screen for the right core competencies. So, if you are a non profit organization that is looking for development and fund raising talent, a candidate that has worked and developed their experience and core competencies in the for profit financial services industries or on Wall Street, may not be the best fit for your non profit/ charitable organization… as this type of candidate may not find your organization is a good fit for them and vice versa. Using behavioral interviewing techniques, checking references and administering personality profiling assessments may help you vet the right candidate. You'll be happy and so will the employee---and your culture won't suffer.
Thanks to the following sources: Matt Rivera, The Wall Street Journal, The Hiring Site & Us Here At Strategic Workforce Consultants
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Continuing Education & Fun Networking Events
Hey Everyone - I get a bunch of invitations for HR/ Staffing Industry / Talent Management events - I enjoy going to the Big Shows and conventions where I get to meet some awesome folks that are in VP, C- Class and Board Level roles. These would include events put on by SIA, SAMA, SHRM and other prominent HR, Supply Chain Management, IT Solutions, Health Care and MBE organizations. My philosophy is to get out there, mingle and form some REAL RELATIONSHIPS... while learning and expanding your knowledge base!
Here is an ONLINE event I was invited to that seems rather unique and wanted to share with you all. ONLINE events can be cool too! Get in contact with Mike Prokopeak at: mproko@mediatecpub.com if you want more information.
AND I will be co-hosting my Workforce Now events at the luxurious, posh and swanky SLS Hotels in Beverly Hills & Miami, coming soon. My events will feature top SMEs and Executives in the HR Solutions space and will take place in a fun and resort like (Pool Party) atmosphere...just in time for SUMMER! Check Out: http://slshotels.com/ AND http://www.sbe.com/aboutsbe
Good luck with your event, Mike - See Mike's invite below:
Dear Mitch;
With summer finally here, that means the third annual Human Capital Media Summer School event is just around the corner. Join Chief Learning Officer, Diversity Executive and Talent Management magazines on July 17-18 for this FREE online event. Whether you’re on the beach or in the office, you can easily attend the sessions, spend some time networking and check out the expo hall.
Hosted by the Human Capital Media Convention Center, this two-day virtual event brings together high-profile leaders and experts who will delve deeply into current business issues, focusing on a variety of corporate learning, talent management and diversity topics.
Keynote Sessions Include:
The No. 1 Skill Set Required for Success: Embracing Radical Continuous Change
Jason Jennings, Author, The Reinventors: How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go! Career Conversations Employees Want
Bev Kaye, Co-Author, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
Julie Winkle Giulioni, Co-Author, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
The Faith, Fire and Focus of Top Performers
Alan Fine, Author, You Already Know How to Be Great
Bootstrap Leadership: Developing Your Leadership Brand
Steve Arneson, Author, Bootstrap Leadership: 50 Ways to Break Out, Take Charge, and Move Up
To view all of the sessions, networking opportunities, and to register for FREE today, click here.
I hope you’ll join me at this must-attend summer event!
Best Regards,
Mike Prokopeak
Vice President, Editorial Director
Human Capital Media
Chief Learning Officer Magazine
Diversity Executive Magazine
Talent Management Magazine
Here is an ONLINE event I was invited to that seems rather unique and wanted to share with you all. ONLINE events can be cool too! Get in contact with Mike Prokopeak at: mproko@mediatecpub.com if you want more information.
AND I will be co-hosting my Workforce Now events at the luxurious, posh and swanky SLS Hotels in Beverly Hills & Miami, coming soon. My events will feature top SMEs and Executives in the HR Solutions space and will take place in a fun and resort like (Pool Party) atmosphere...just in time for SUMMER! Check Out: http://slshotels.com/ AND http://www.sbe.com/aboutsbe
Good luck with your event, Mike - See Mike's invite below:
Dear Mitch;
With summer finally here, that means the third annual Human Capital Media Summer School event is just around the corner. Join Chief Learning Officer, Diversity Executive and Talent Management magazines on July 17-18 for this FREE online event. Whether you’re on the beach or in the office, you can easily attend the sessions, spend some time networking and check out the expo hall.
Hosted by the Human Capital Media Convention Center, this two-day virtual event brings together high-profile leaders and experts who will delve deeply into current business issues, focusing on a variety of corporate learning, talent management and diversity topics.
Keynote Sessions Include:
The No. 1 Skill Set Required for Success: Embracing Radical Continuous Change
Jason Jennings, Author, The Reinventors: How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go! Career Conversations Employees Want
Bev Kaye, Co-Author, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
Julie Winkle Giulioni, Co-Author, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
The Faith, Fire and Focus of Top Performers
Alan Fine, Author, You Already Know How to Be Great
Bootstrap Leadership: Developing Your Leadership Brand
Steve Arneson, Author, Bootstrap Leadership: 50 Ways to Break Out, Take Charge, and Move Up
To view all of the sessions, networking opportunities, and to register for FREE today, click here.
I hope you’ll join me at this must-attend summer event!
Best Regards,
Mike Prokopeak
Vice President, Editorial Director
Human Capital Media
Chief Learning Officer Magazine
Diversity Executive Magazine
Talent Management Magazine
Saturday, June 2, 2012
From a CHRO at a Top 5 Children's Hospital: What service metrics should be used to evaluate a Managed Service Program. How often are the metrics reviewed?
Last week I met with a CHRO at a Children's Hospital (University affiliate) who is looking to develop an RFI/ RFP for an MSP with VMS technology. This would be a first generation program evolving from a Preferred Supplier business model. The CHRO and her team were curious about what types of metrics should be tracked in the program. Even with organizations that have had familiarity with MSP/ VMS programs, this question seems to come up quite a bit. At the end of the day, the client organization must survey all stakeholders/ end users very carefully and craft SLAs and metrics that will be critical in defining the success of the program... and realistic measurements that will help in guiding the client organization towards its strategic vision and operational success.
Below are a few metrics that should be measured in a Best-in-Class program-
MSP Performance Metrics and Definition:
Response Time = Elapsed time from order receipt to resume submittal of a placed contractor
On-Time Fill = Percentage of engagements starting on-time based on the estimated start date
Cycle Time = Elapsed time from order receipt to confirmation of placement
Negative Turnover / Negative Performance = Percentage of engagements ended early for negative reasons (performance, resignation, etc.)
Contractor Performance = Overall level of Hiring Manager satisfaction relative to the contractor's performance
Customer Satisfaction = Overall level of Hiring Manager satisfaction relative to program quality, process, and PMO interaction
Supplier Satisfaction = Overall level of supplier satisfaction relative to program quality, process, and PMO interaction
Diverse Spend = Percentage of minority spend against overall program spend
Cost Reduction Savings = Negotiated conversions above and beyond contractual conversion schedule that save the customer spend towards a conversion fee
Contractor Conversion Savings = Total dollars saved by enforcement or further negotiation of contractual conversion schedule
Innovation = What types of solutions did the MSP/ VMS bring to the table?
Strategic Counsel = What type of workforce planning, market/ industry/ competitive intelligence and proactive initiatives did you bring to the table, thus producing added value, ROI and cost avoidance?
Typically, these metrics are reported on a quarterly basis back to the client. However, should it suit the needs of the client, The MSP provider should report them more frequently, especially in the first year of a newly implemented program. The PMO staff should monitor these metrics on an ongoing basis to ensure that targets are being met and that trends are identified before they become an issue. From the day-to-day interactions between the MSP program management team and end-users, to formal quarterly business reviews that occur at the highest level of the client relationship, a best-in-class MSP creates multiple opportunities to exchange information and proactively identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, leveraging a robust VMS and it reporting/ analytics functionality – The MSP provider should look to analyze unusual trends or spikes in contractor usage and incorporate some Workforce Planning strategies so as to reduce service issues and manage the supplier base and their fulfillment capabilities more efficiently.
Below are a few metrics that should be measured in a Best-in-Class program-
MSP Performance Metrics and Definition:
Response Time = Elapsed time from order receipt to resume submittal of a placed contractor
On-Time Fill = Percentage of engagements starting on-time based on the estimated start date
Cycle Time = Elapsed time from order receipt to confirmation of placement
Negative Turnover / Negative Performance = Percentage of engagements ended early for negative reasons (performance, resignation, etc.)
Contractor Performance = Overall level of Hiring Manager satisfaction relative to the contractor's performance
Customer Satisfaction = Overall level of Hiring Manager satisfaction relative to program quality, process, and PMO interaction
Supplier Satisfaction = Overall level of supplier satisfaction relative to program quality, process, and PMO interaction
Diverse Spend = Percentage of minority spend against overall program spend
Cost Reduction Savings = Negotiated conversions above and beyond contractual conversion schedule that save the customer spend towards a conversion fee
Contractor Conversion Savings = Total dollars saved by enforcement or further negotiation of contractual conversion schedule
Innovation = What types of solutions did the MSP/ VMS bring to the table?
Strategic Counsel = What type of workforce planning, market/ industry/ competitive intelligence and proactive initiatives did you bring to the table, thus producing added value, ROI and cost avoidance?
Typically, these metrics are reported on a quarterly basis back to the client. However, should it suit the needs of the client, The MSP provider should report them more frequently, especially in the first year of a newly implemented program. The PMO staff should monitor these metrics on an ongoing basis to ensure that targets are being met and that trends are identified before they become an issue. From the day-to-day interactions between the MSP program management team and end-users, to formal quarterly business reviews that occur at the highest level of the client relationship, a best-in-class MSP creates multiple opportunities to exchange information and proactively identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, leveraging a robust VMS and it reporting/ analytics functionality – The MSP provider should look to analyze unusual trends or spikes in contractor usage and incorporate some Workforce Planning strategies so as to reduce service issues and manage the supplier base and their fulfillment capabilities more efficiently.
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