Having Power

Weight of having strength and power

There are many concepts of what power means as well as what it is. Simply put, power is the ability to be effective. We speak of having powerful engines and equipment. The lion is known as the King of the Jungle because of its prowess and powerfulness. Leaders are known for their insight, vision, and ability to influence others to do (or overcome) certain things that were considered difficult for the ordinary.

Power isn’t allocated to an elite and unique class. It is something that derives from a number of sources and reasons.

Actual Power

Although some believe that only men (especially White men) are power brokers, that isn’t necessarily the case. It is also a common belief that only able-bodied people are powerful and capable of being effective. Being powerful comes from a number of sources.

• There is education that comes from learning being a good student in school and earning god grades. Some think of being a good student as having read the textbook and then checking the correct boxes on the Scantron during the examination.

  Still others believe that merely reading a lot of books, as well as newspapers and magazines, is the source of being well educated. That’s a piece of the formula.

• Education also comes from experience. Experience comes from exposure to situations, using good practices that net good outcomes, and then repeating those practices until they become second nature (require little to no pre-thought because the positive response, that has been reinforced many times over without contradiction) becomes intuitive and natural. Few have sat at a keyboard after reading a book about typing (or not having done so) and been able to type 150 words per minute. It takes practice to become capable.
• Being resourceful also provides certain advantages to leverage what seemed to be a disadvantage into an actual boon to effectiveness – and power. But resourcefulness stems from being not only educated about the properties of things but also being creative enough to realize the alternative uses for the traditional tools and situations.
• Therefore, another source of power is creativity.
• As we consider creativity, it needs to be remembered that raw elements (talents) have certain amazing properties. Unharnessed, they can be overwhelming and sometimes alarming, thereby deterring use. A certain amount of refinement can make the single raw talent (asset) become useful in many ways and attract even more bounties and alliances that previously considered. Refined use of abilities is critical to being powerful.

False Power

• Some feel their effectiveness and power over others stems from shouting down those who question what is being done. Yes, shouting will definitely drown out other voices. It will also turn away those who could have been supporters had the additional information been supplied.
• Then there’s use of force, sometimes coercion, in order to have power to get things done or influence action by others. Force and coercion ultimately produce impotence (ineffectiveness) of those who allow it. It also garners resentment, distrust, and negative reaction, loss of loyalty, and ultimately rejection by loss of alliance.
• Charismatic flattery will gain admiration and attraction. Caution: false flattery, while it appeals to the ego, will soon be seen for what it is – merely words used to get something in exchange for little in return.
• Duplicity is another form of false power. Some synonyms are “con game”, lying, sham, deceit, double-dealing, and hidden agenda, to name a few.

False power is only short lived in terms of being effective. Once the methodology is discovered, the loss of power becomes rapid and widespread. False power takes a lot of work because the audience, and potential supporters, is in constant need of being rebuilt in order to replace the attrition numbers.

The other thing about false power is the most important to remember. It’s evidence of lack of legitimate power. It’s evidence of a dangerous weakness that’s being camouflaged through the use of the above tactics, in addition to others not mentioned here. Don’t get caught showing how weak you really are.

Have Power

In sum, power flows from not a single class of people or thing. When it comes to considering a powerful person, it’s advisable to look for certain characteristics.

• Education
• Experience
• Vision
• Efficiency
• Time Sensitiveness
• Resourcefulness
• Refinement
• Professionalism
• Moderation
• Humility

It’s the short list. It’s also a “must have” list. Be certain what you seek is real, legitimate power and be powerful in doing so.

You May Also Find Useful

• The Wish for Power and the Fear of Having It
• Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
• Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations That Matter

Screening: How Much Experience

It’s an awakening time – again. But this time in another area.

Mistake One: Need-based Promotion

The first awakening was in the mid 1980s when I was a supervisor saddled with several rather mindless tasks that were also time consuming. One of them could be easily delegated. The receptionist wanted to grow out of her position and into something more responsible. She politicked. She told me about her endeavors in paralegal self study and how much she was reading. It seemed putting her into that administrative role could be helpful to both her and me as well as do the firm a service. I petitioned my supervising attorney who asked me to create a job description. He cautioned that her training and supervision was my responsibility. Accepted.

Her job description was written. It was given to her and she liked it. She accepted it. I thought she was doing well because her questions became scarce and she seemed busy. I was mistaken.

I was also responsible for training the securities paralegal and our new lawyers on handling corporate matters, especially forming a corporation. In the long run, I learned the receptionist who became the keeper of the library of corporate kits, was going to the securities paralegal (a 25-year-old, chauvinistic Bostonian man) for guidance and knowledge and then began considering him as her supervisor. She forgot that she reported to me. He felt he was superior to me and he had the support of a very popular securities lawyer.

Knowledge based on training

There were many issues that brewed in the office. So many that I forgot to monitor the growth of the corporate kit keeper’s knowledge and the depth of it. I should have kept better track of her work – even though there were many times when I found myself needing to work deal miracles. Perhaps I should have done a better job of teaching her new aspects of the work. But I definitely needed to help her realize that merely reading the book was not the same as being qualified to do the work. Perhaps more of an open-door policy with regard to learning opportunities would have resulted in a better outcome.

Doomed Destiny

There were other ethical issues that plagued all of the offices of that firm. The writing was on the walls and there were no erasers. The practices fed on themselves. One example was the lateral hire who was being interviewed from one office to another while carrying his plate lunch with him. Interviews continued as the firm’s convulsed its way toward its demise. Prudence dictated that interviewing stop, but it didn’t.

I was able to get out several months ahead of the collapse. Like a scorpion, the firm killed itself. But the collapse was because of the practices of many of the lawyers. There was also too much competitiveness and too many hidden agendas. There was also an enormous number of those who (like me with the corporate kit keeper) shirked their responsibilities in deference to billable hours and trying to hold down the fort.

We all should have been paying attention to the most important things. We should have been screening for experience and had a willingness to train if there was budget to do so.

Translatable Lessons

Screening for experience is something we do in many professions. The plumber brings their apprentice with them in order to train the learner about the proper way to use their tools and to identify what the issue is. The apprentice is not set loose on a project with no supervision until the trainer is certain of the skill that is going to be applied to the job.

The learner has seen the right way to do things. The conditions are explained to them. Also explained are the consequences and outcomes of taking a wrong step or making a bad turn. Terminology is explained so that both the learner and the teacher are conversing about the same thing. In that way, they can adequately talk to the client about the job, provide an estimate, form a contract for services, and then complete the job so that the bill is paid. Communication is a very critical element in screening.

Examples

How much experience does this potential worker have? Where are their references or testimonials? How many similar projects of this type have they done? Is this the first one? (Maybe they’re a volunteer who’s in transition and building a new portfolio.) Perhaps they have lateral experience that translates to what is needed for the job that’s open. Find out. Evaluate. Have them explain why this is a valid example of the type of work that can be expected from them. At the same time, you’ll be able to evaluate their ability to communicate, comprehend instructions, convey their appreciation and assessment of a situation, and depth of knowledge.

If they’ve merely been reading a book or simply talking (networking) with others in their target career option, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the qualifications to be considered anything more than a newcomer.

Careful Evaluation

It’s one thing to read the book. That exercise provides the foundation for the knowledge. There’s more to learning than the mere visual intake of words. Learning comes in three ways: visual, auditory, and manual. Some people learn by using only one of those modalities. Others use two, and still other learners require all three.

Cementing the knowledge means actually using it. It’s best to practice the discipline before attempting to execute in the real environment. That’s why athletes and musicians practice and do drills. That why actors rehearse and block scenes. It’s why doctors and lawyers go through various stages of preparing for their discipline and developing their body of knowledge.

The motivation for getting into that career path and opportunity is evidenced by not just the portfolio of past accomplishments. That shows a history of experience. And that experience could have met with unexpected detours and interruptions. But the focused endeavors to practice the craft, science, art will have examples and work product. Where can those be found? If they’ve been deleted by some unethical hand, it’s a loss for everyone except those who actually saw or experienced it and can attest to its value. Another witness to experience is how well the candidate can discuss the project in detail. Perhaps there were no external evaluations that contained constructive critiques. Then evaluate how well the candidate did a self assessment and grew from that self counseling.

The amount of experience a person has is also evidenced in whether they’re capable of coming up with adaptations. Whether they’re successful or not is not the initial consideration as much as they have sufficient appreciation of the circumstances to enable them to come up with alternative methods of attack in order to reach the desired goal – ethically. It’s because they have a deep appreciation of the foundation principles that they will be able to identify a reasonable facsimile or substitute if the proper tool simply isn’t in the toolbox. They’re almost like MacGyver. Even if there are no longer work samples available, the knowledge (even long unused) is still there to benefit those who need and want it.

Enhancements, such as continuing education or next grade level training, will make the candidate even more valuable. Age is not so much a factor as is adaptability and depth of knowledge, as ability to move with change – or cause it because of that underlying experience.

Also keep in mind that now that we are a global society, we still use different terms (or labels) for things depending on where we are. What is call “The Plough” in the United Kingdom is known as Ursa Major elsewhere. So it’s important that the terminology or jargon is matching up between the parties.

How Much Experience Do You Have?

It would be nice to find credibility and proof of ability on the store shelf. Unfortunately, it takes time and practice to properly evaluate a candidate. Application of knowledge in projects directly related to the present goal or indirectly via a similar or lateral endeavor can prove to have enduring benefits. Repeated practice, with successes, build on the portfolio. Sending your employees off to a training and then never having them put into practice what they learned at the training is money thrown out the window three times over. There was the cost of the training, the cost of the personnel who covered the absence, and the wages paid while the employee was attending the training but left with no way to use it. Make that thrown out the window four times.

I’m not certain how a candidate can adequately convey knowledge and experience gained from being in the trenches. That type of insight provides a very deep awareness and appreciation of what the customer/audience wants and needs. It also gives a deeper appreciation of why one tactic will work compared with what the textbook said. Being in the trenches gives the practitioner more genuineness. When you pull out of the trenches, the landscape may still look the way it did when you entered it. But there have been changes on both sides of the picture.

Epiphanies

Incidentally, I’m finally about to embark on a long delayed step in my professional endeavors (which has spawned some of this writing). The handouts for a talk I’m doing later this month will be created as digital content. I’m learning about creating and publishing an ebook. The simple act of talking about “front matter” became a six-hour exercise of following instructions based on old technology and obsolete protocols. The updated information is now available. Meanwhile, there’s been searching for what was discussed under the old protocols. There’s been applying the principles to test runs. And there’s been time to recognize distractions and time management issues – in addition to the need for trial runs.

The term “front matter” is not the same in every genre. Which brings me back to terminology and jargon. Make certain you’re talking about the same thing as the experience is being discussed or described. Also be certain of what is considered proficient and standard in that part of the world compared with where the work is to be performed. Avoid throwing out the proverbial baby.

Resources:

• Training and Experience (T & E) Evaluations
• Evaluating Experience: The Key to Successful Selection of Outside Counsel
• Evaluating Personal Experience
• Ability and Tenacity
• Who’s Responsible for Getting Bob Hired?
• Ia This What You Want?

Sponsored Links:

• Evaluating, Awarding and Transferring Prior Learning Credits in Higher Education: The New Paradigm in Awarding College Credits for Work, Life and Learning Experiences in the 21st Century and Beyond
• PHR/SPHR Certification Exam preparation

Getting in the Temp Agency Door

The New Workforce

At one point in time, getting formal temporary work was simply a matter of finding an agency. Well, actually, a little more than that. It was necessary to actually go in and fill out an employment application so that you could become a registered candidate. Then there were screening tests followed by an interview with the agency recruiter. Finally, you were asked about your availability and walked out with (1) a couple of time sheets in order to keep track of the hours you worked for (2) the job you were going to start doing the next business day.

In the Last Century

No, it wasn’t necessary to make an appointment. Having a resume was a nice thing to have. It showed a modicum of professionalism but more importantly, it showed you were prepared to work and show your work history.

Things changed a bit, but not drastically. The industry had little bearing on the protocol. It didn’t matter if it was office, labor, construction, nursing, or care giving. The routine was still the same. Labor agencies were even less formal. Simply go in, register, if the drop-in was not for the first time, simply put your name on the sign-in sheet, then sit and wait to be called for the next job.

Client Priority Changes

Some clients strove to streamline and formalize their operations. Their usual mode was to use their informal registration of applying to work via referral or emailing a resume and cover letter. They contacted their database of past workers to learn whether they were available for the next regular project and then did an new orientation. There was outreach for new workers who were sought by small advertisements and solicited referrals. But some decided to remove the paperwork and management from their workload. They turned to temp agencies to handle the administrative side of the employment issues. So the cadre of workers were required to register with the contracted agency during a registration period. The rest of the steps were the same.

New Game Plan

Sometime between 2008 and May 2017, the manner of working with an agency (from the worker’s side of the picture) changed. No more drop in, complete the application, go through testing, and walk out with a time sheet. Instead, applicants are now discouraged from even going into the agency office.

Instead, the applicant goes to the agency’s website and completes an application that’s accompanied by the applicant’s uploaded resume. In July, Joe Cummings, CEO, President, and owner of Royal Staffing, posted to LinkedIn by encouraging those who were seeking work to do so through his agency. The campaign was very similar to a current one that says, “Looking for a job? If so, we’re looking for you. Make your life easier and visit http://www.royalstaffing.com Look at the great opportunities we have waiting for you or someone you know.” What a great opportunity to find out how to be found. So I asked him to explain the new intake process used for registering temporary candidates.

“What we have our candidates do is fill out the online application. We reach out to each and every one of them once the applications received… If the applying candidate has the skills and a good work history for our niche market, we schedule an appointment for them to come in and interview. Prior to them coming in we do send them the assessment tests online and they complete them at home before they come into the office.”

This is now the protocol used by all agencies. Joe added some cautionary advice here. “[T]he job seeker is also responsible for following up on his or her application submittals to potential employers. The old adage still is very much alive today, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

But, What About?

There are still unanswered questions. This also begs the question of how the application / resume needs to be constructed in order to get temporary work – not gig work, just the fill-in stuff that used to be “easy-peasy”, walk in, take a test and complete forms, walk out with a time sheet and an assignment for the next day (and a paycheck the next week!).

Since there was no response by the end of June, I turned to the American Staffing Association to seek information. I explained my association and standing with the organization and asked for clarification about the change in protocol for registering with an agency. The burning questions were, “When did this practice begin and what is the reasoning for it?” Well, there’s been no response.

Digital and Modernization

Perhaps the reason for the change has to do with cost containment as well as the fact that we now do so much in a digital format. As each year since September 11, 2001 has passed, the need for security increases. Perhaps this manner of applying for work via the Internet has a small amount of attention to security issues. There is less need for office space and equipment so overhead is also reduced. Does that in turn mean that the contract workers can enjoy a small pay increase? It’s hard to say.

In the past, workers would choose an agency that was geographically easy to reach. At the end of the week, they could leave the work site and go directly to the agency office to drop off the verified time sheet. That also meant the previous week’s check could be held for them (not mailed) so they could personally receive it and handle it in whatever manner was necessary for their needs. Are checks now done via direct deposit? Security, as mentioned before, is growing to more than just physical site issues. Cybersecurity is now an important business concern. So perhaps that modicum of pay increase because of reduced overhead got absorbed by the expense of shoring up the vulnerabilities from the different weak spots. More open issues with no explanations.

The Same but Different

What remains is applying to work for more than a quick project now requires greater amount of formality. Yes, people do take vacations, go into hospital or take a leave of absence. Some employers manage the contingency by hiring one or two extra staff who have flexible skills. (That can become expensive over the long run.) And contingency work is still a great way to try out the talent before extending an offer of employment (also known as “temp to hire”) to get a 360, in-house evaluation of the talent. If the situation isn’t a good match, at least the “supply chain” of work continued without the usual interviewing / screening / onboarding interruptions created by traditional hiring methods.

And perhaps this is why the gig economy is not only growing but thriving today.

Resources:

• Americans’ financial well-being reaches its highest level in 10 years, Samiha Khanna, Journal of Accountancy (July 27, 2017)
• ASA Skills Gap Index: Top Hard-to-Fill Jobs by Sector (August 29, 2017)
• Trends in Employment, The Desk Annex (May 14, 2017)
• Jobs Growth in April 2017, The Desk Annex (May 5, 2017)
• #JobsReport – Lowest July Veteran Unemployment Rate Since 2001 Veterans’ Employment & Training Service’s (VETS) July Veteran Employment Update, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Economic News Release (August 7, 2017)
• U.S. Department of Labor — ODEP – Office of Disability Employment Policy – Publications – Strategic Connections: Recruiting Candidates with Disabilities
• How to Use a Temp Agency to Find a Job, Alison Doyle, The Balance (July 16, 2017)
• Here’s How to Apply, Adecco
• How to write a CV for a temporary job, Clare Whitmell, The Guardian (10 June 2014)
• 10 Reasons to Take A Temporary Job, Aaron Guerrero, U.S. News & World Report (May 22, 2013)
• Intuit: Gig economy is 34% of US workforce, Patrick Gillespie, CNN Money (May 24, 2017)
• Is the Gig Economy Working?, Nathan Heller, The New Yorker (May 15, 2017)
• The Gig Economy’s False Promise, THE EDITORIAL BOARD, New York Times (APRIL 10, 2017)
• How The Gig Economy Will Change In 2017, Lydia Dishman, Fast Company (January 5, 2017)

Sponsored Links:

• Management and Organization of Temporary Agency Work (Routledge Studies in Management, Organizations and Society)
• PHR/SPHR Certification Exam Preparation

Revised Healthcare Legislation

In May, the revised healthcare bill was presented to the House – and was approved. It was then sent to the Senate for approval and enactment.

We talk about the importance of transparency in business in order to gain trust and support. Apparently no one had that conversation with the crafters of the Senate’s version of the healthcare bill. The revisions were taken into a Star Chamber environment where the details were kept under strict secrecy.

We talk about the importance of diversity in creating product that appeals to a broader cross section of customers. That diversity provides for more input from different perspectives that result in a stronger product. It seems those conversations were also forgotten by mentors of Senate members. No women were included in the committee that hammered out the details of the bill.

Many have voiced concerns about matters such as women’s health issues (which present in a different manner than men’s), reproductive rights for women, pre-existing health conditions and coverage for them. Our veterans are concerned about coverage for disabilities acquired during warfare and military service. PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is on the minds of many because of how that condition is growing. We need to be mindful of the fact that PTSD affects more than just military and veteran populations. Those who are survivors of major traumas and abuse are also prone to suffer from various forms of PTSD. However, that could now be considered a non-covered, pre-existing condition.

The House version of the healthcare bill had some major difficulties. Citizens raised their voices. The Senate version of the bill was modified but there have been many white knuckle days while the arcane revisions were crafted. The revisions did not satisfy the tastes of the entire Senate. Probably to the relief of many HR and benefits administrators, the vote on the revised healthcare bill has been delayed.

The costs associated with gaining coverage are skewed against the middle and lower classes of our population. According to an analysis on CBS This Morning, costs for those two income levels will eventually be four times greater than they are now while those in the upper class will enjoy tax breaks and premium increases that are not as draconian.

AARP published an article about the House version of the bill. It raised concerns and cited flaws in the bill. However flawed, the bill passed over to the Senate for review and approval; that is what brought us to this juncture in our review of things reaching The Desk today. The Senate version of the bill (formally called “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017”) has problems. So many, in fact, that even the partisan support that was expected for it failed. There was simply too much secrecy. The bill failed to address the concerns of the greatest boss of the Legislative branch – The People.

Resources:

• House Approves Bill Slashing Health Coverage
• Facing GOP opposition, Senate leaders postpone vote to overhaul Obamacare
• The Senate Health Reform Bill Slashes Medicaid Severely
• Spotlight on the Impact of the American Health Care Act on Total Medicaid Spending in Eight States
• Under the Health Reform Bill, People with Preexisting Health Conditions Would Face Unaffordable Premiums in State High-Risk Pools
• Veterans speak out on health care bill, say it could hurt 2 million on Medicaid
• Premiums Could Spike for Middle Class Under Senate Health Bill
• See where the Senate health-care bill’s subsidy cuts will affect Americans most

Sponsored Links:

• How To Buy Health Insurance: An Introduction to Healthcare Coverage
• Universal Healthcare The Moral and Economic Argument For Universal Healthcare In 15 Minutes or Less: Beyond Dogma and Ideology – An Argument For Basic … Developed Society (15 Minute Reads Book 2)
• The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care

Conflict: Metrics cf. Performance

The idea for it was probably spawned by fitness tracking appliances. Whether it becomes a standard practice embraced by employees remains to be seen. Right now electronic badges worn by employees can track their physiology and provide information about their performance and engagement in the workplace. The badges are also equipped with two speakers that track the quality of vocalizations (not the words) in order to detect tension. The only time the speakers aren’t in operation is when an employee enters the bathroom.

Employers and managers use the data provided by these trackers in order to determine who is performing and at what level. The question is whether these badges are then useful for determining who needs additional training or coaching or maybe even a transfer to a different department where the employee skills are better used.

What the trackers do provide is feedback to the employees who elected to use them. The data also provides them with information about what may have contributed to a good, productive day compared with one of those days when their performance wasn’t as stellar.

What are the ethics in using this type of tracked information? One argument is the badges are only issued to employees who are willing to use them. That is the PR statement. It doesn’t address the matter of how many employees submit to using the badges because they fear retaliation or negative consequences if they refuse.

Another thing to consider with regard to performance is the degree to which outside factors, such as family stresses, influence a worker’s performance or reaction to various stimuli. Health conditions can also figure into how people manage situations, health conditions that were previously a private matter. Still another critical issue is the level of ethical practices an employee uses in executing their job. An aggressive sales person will use many questionable tactics in order to close the deal. Concerns about consequences after the fact are negligible, if they exist at all. Obviously, those more aggressive tactics are not going to be reported to the supervisor or manager. And it may be that the manager is the one who set the example for the strategy.

Still, we are told it’s the data that is the payload for the founder of Humanyze. So there’s little incentive to make these badges a pricey item to add to the management toolbox and increases its desirability for increasing productivity, engagement, and more informed management strategies. It provides more information, metrics, insight into what makes the worker tick.

Sponsored Links:

• Spy Mini GPS Tracking Finder Device Auto Car Pets Kids Motorcycle Tracker Track (Colors May Vary)
• TOWABO Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate monitor E3S Activity Watch Step Walking Sleep Counter Wireless Wristband Pedometer Exercise Tracking Sweatproof Sports Bracelet for Android and iOS

Terms of Art: Multitasking

Multitasking gone wrong

The job ad called for someone who know how to multitask. The interviewee said they’re an expert at multitasking. In actuality, they were probably talking about being hyperactive and distracted while doing multiple things that are not in any way related to the other. What they’re actually talking about is double (or even triple) scheduling several tasks that aren’t related and then getting burnout because the person’s attention is being simultaneously pulled in many directions. Guess who’s going to drop the ball. Guess who’ll get blamed for the mess that results.

Terms start out meaning one thing. They’re an evolution of the language we use. Eventually the term becomes accepted and used without having a sense of what it actually means. It just gets used at an increasing rate and in more places until it’s just a more sophisticated sounding term that people assume means one thing. But in actual practice, what the person is thinking it means is a totally different situation.

In a business sense, you might think of multitasking as similar to supply chain management or SCM. SCM is a large scale multitasking endeavor. It involves more of the picture and more points of reference to track and manage. It involves managing and coordinating different parts of a process so that the entire thing comes together at the same time. This is very important when you have schedules that need to be kept. The degree to which the project is well organized and orchestrated indicates there will be few glitches.

Still in a business sense, a prime example of multitasking would be in the kitchen of a restaurant (or even a fast food establishment). You start with preparing the tools in order to cook the food. Then you begin the food preparation while the stove (or oven) is heating. Maybe it’s the pot or skillet that needs to hold the food. No matter. While those are in process, it’s time to cut, peel, dice the items that will go into the cooking container. Likewise, the food that needs the longest duration for cooking will be the first into the container. Meanwhile, whatever utensils that were used and are no longer necessary for the preparation can be washed and stored as the dish continues to cook. All the items for the plate are being processed to reach the plate at the same and with the same temperature.

In a domestic setting, it’s entirely possible to start washing a load of laundry while another load dries. Since neither of those activities need to be monitored, it’s possible to start the dishwasher as well as vacuum (or sweep) the floor. The machines are minding the long duration, automated activities while the one task that requires human management is done.

So when you’re talking about multitasking (or any other jargon of the day), make certain you know the proper definition of what you’re doing and discussing. To do otherwise may bring you to the end of a conversation filled with misunderstandings and disappointments. Make certain you’re both talking about the same thing and that you understand the concepts behind the definition.

Sponsored Links:

• The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
• Advanced Multitasking

Colorado School of Public Health Dean Description

An announcement from American Public Health Association on December 13 announced an opening for the position of Dean at the Colorado School of Public Health.

The position descriptions were two .PDF attachments. As a one-time courtesy, those descriptions are being included in this post.

The announcement said

“Greetings ICEHS!

Please see attached job Description and advertisement for Colorado SPH Dean. The deadline ‘to receive full consideration’ is January 9, 2017.”

The description: coloradosph-dean-job-description-final

The advertisement: coloradosph-dean-ad-final-003-1

Best wishes to all who apply.

Post-Election Stress

There are some who are still going through the decompression phase of post-election stress. There are still some experiencing anger, anxiety, depression.

Under Pressure

According to an interview with Washington-based psychologist Alison Howard, which appeared in Psychology Today, “. . . “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Howard, who stressed that such feelings were natural and not a mental health pathology. (Emphasis supplied)

There are other accounts of how this election has taken a toll on the population. “Stephen Strosny, a psychologist in a Washington suburb who voted for Clinton, said he started noticing a spike in election-related stress in April, when he coined the term Election Stress Disorder, whose symptoms include anxiety, trouble concentrating and nervousness with resentment.”

Although the article recommends being mindful of self in order to overcome the stresses being experienced at this time, there is something more that I would recommend.

• Find a positive aspect of things that happen.
• Develop an attitude of Life as filled with teachable moments.
• See your life as a continuing path.
• See your role and your activities as purposeful and meaningful.
• Endeavor to fulfill some aspect (or become prepared to do so) of those activities each hour of each day.
• Be open to candid and respectful conversations with others about how your endeavors can be a cohesive effort toward improvement – for living together, working together, bein part of the same community.
• Identify the things in your life that have mutualities with others of opposite positions.
• Build on the differences of perspectives and how each can be applied to something that is of mutual benefit.

No matter what you do, it isn’t necessary to carry around a mental self image like the one above. Make certain your endeavors are lawful and leading toward a positive outcome.

Sponsored Links:

• Managing Stress In The Workplace: How To Get Rid Of Stress At Work And Live A Longer Life (Stress Management Techniques)
• Managing Traumatic Stress Through Art: Drawing from the Center
• Growing Beyond Survival: A Self-Help Toolkit for Managing Traumatic Stress, Second Edition

About Anna’s Linens

A few days ago I passed by an Anna’s Linens store. To my surprise, the window walls were covered with “GOING OUT OF BUSINESS” signs. Goods and store fixtures were still behind the signs, which indicated the move was recent. I wondered whether it was merely the one store or the entire chain and made a mental note to check news about the business before I spoke of the siting.

Planning for success

Yesterday I found the answer to my question. There are quite a number of news stories about Anna’s attempts to be bought out by a stronger entity rather than file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The talks fell through; bankruptcy papers were filed; the entire chain is closing.

Before reading the news accounts of the business’s status, I speculated about what may have led to the closing. Their target market seemed to be a particular demographic by virtue of the location of their stores. It was typical to find them near or renting space from a discount grocery store in a heavily Hispanic and/or Black community.

Perhaps economic pressures contributed to the downfall. Although in the early days, goods were at bargain or reasonable prices, that practice did not hold true as time passed. The new order showed that the prices of goods were very much comparable to other similar vendors. In fact, it was entirely possible to get the same goods at a Target or Walgreens for a better price.

In addition to pricing, there was the matter of misleading advertising. The print ads lured customers in for the (for example) standard-sized pillow at 30% off. But once the customer entered the store, either the pillows were all sold out or the actual goods on sale were the over-sized pillows that were not on sale and at a higher price point. (A little bait and switch brought back to life.)

With the typical bait and switch, it appeared that was the lead-in training for questionable practices by the staff. They were helpful but it seemed they were too willing to look for that item the shopper really wanted while they no longer had it but something similar for a little higher price. After working in that type of environment, how much of the sales and business ethics practices became a part of the workforce psyche and how far was that cast? Second-hand learning could be passed on to children, friends, and siblings of the workers. Associates of the workers may have fallen victims of the practices used outside of the store, things such as trade items, collaborate on activities, or build terms of relationships. It became an environment much akin to “Big Brother” or “Survivor” and I finally had enough. I stopped shopping there and sought better bargains at places I felt were much more ethical.

News accounts say the company over expanded too rapidly. The act of gaining more funds and committing oneself to to many financial obligations stretched resources too thin. Most likely economic factors such as people no longer in possession of discretionary spendable dollars also contributed to the downfall. The fact that many of those in the business’s target demographic are existing on slightly more than minimum wage incomes probably didn’t help the circumstances for anyone. And now, as a nation, we’re talking about incrementally raising the minimum wage to $15 over the next five years.

The shelves and racks, the counters of every store, no matter the size, were always filled to overflowing. There was even more in the back in the unlikely happenstance that a particular style, size, or color was not on the sales floor. Perhaps that was yet another factor that played into Anna’s demise – too much held in inventory. It costs money in terms of plant space in order to store quantities of things that aren’t being sold. After a time, items become shelf worn and need to be cleared, even at a slight discount, in order to make more space. But when your inventory isn’t moving, that should be a major indicator that you need to re-order in smaller quantities and at less frequent intervals. It seems someone at Corporate wasn’t using that philosophy.

It’s good that they have been responsible and made arrangements for paying last wages to all of their 2,500 employees.

The question in the back of my mind is how to interview those people to legally screen them for the types of ethical practices one should use in your own business. It would need to be the type of screening administered to every person who applies for and is interviewed for a job with the business and at any rung of the hierarchy of the enterprise. That will take some consideration and conclusions based on decisions from HR, management, and legal departments.

So Anna’s Linens is joining the ranks of many other businesses across the nation and adding to the number of empty building walls abutting one another. Anna’s Linens is closing.

Resources:

• Anna’s Linens to Liquidate Inventory, Mediha DiMartino, Orange County Business Journal (Monday, June 22, 2015)
• http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/discount-home-goods-retailer-anna-s-linens-files-for-bankruptcy/article_070af0a8-2418-11e5-a52b-c74e93fc904c.html, KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER | STAFF WRITER, The Monitor (Monday, July 6, 2015 2:48 pm)
• Company Overview of Anna’s Linens, Inc.
• BBB Business Review Not Rated
• Anna’s Linens folding up after filing for bankruptcy, Robert Channick Chicago Tribune (June 26, 2015, 9:30 AM)

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On Your Shoulders

Reliability Definition Magnifier Shows Trust Quality And Dependability

Taking responsibility for failure to deliver is essential to reaching maturity. Recognizing when circumstances begin to build toward a failed commitment and making necessary, satisfactory adjustments is essential to having the right leadership ingredients. Those involve planning and foresight. Those involve being able to make contingency plans.

Compensation and resourcefulness are important to remember for the sake of projecting professionalism.

Whatever the dynamic, the “slippage” is not the fault of someone else or something else and responsibility for it is On Your Shoulders. Read more about it in the Career Coach Corner.