I received my monthly words of wisdom from Kit Grant and thought I would share them with you. You can subscribe to Kit’s newsletter through his website:

“Often a recession is all in your mind.” … Anonymous.

That “anonymous” person is actually pretty smart. If you believed everything you read in the newspaper or hear on TV/radio, you’d often think we are all doomed and anything good is only momentary. Well, you probably will die someday; just make sure you don’t do it before you leave! You all know the old accountant joke — they have accurately predicted 27 of the last 3 recessions.

I am always amazed at how some people just quietly carry on producing better than average results while others are kept busy coming up with excuses as to why they are not successful during such competitive or difficult times. The ones who are continuing to move ahead must be doing something different but probably couldn’t take those actions unless they were also “thinking” differently.

Whether you aim at success or failure, you increase your chances of hitting the target you focus on. Do whatever it takes to ignore the one you don’t want and see what happens to your results.

Many people aim at nothing, apparently just wanting to get through another day. They do NOT get what they aim at. Rather, they receive whatever someone else decides to give to them. You see, now it’s not their fault, they are just victims … they were given bad stuff by others. An associate of mine, well-known professional speaker and author, Lee Milteer says there are no victims, just volunteers. Ouch! A little harsh, you say? Maybe so, but pretty much right on target.

What will you focus on this month?

The modern world is full of distractions … we are bombarded with “stuff” that will take our attention away from what we should be doing. Whether you are at work and trying to be productive or at home doing the bills or at the gym working out … if you are totally focused on your activity then you will get the best results.

Distractions will have a serious impact on your productivity. Some of the common ones in the office might be …

• Focusing on the stuff you want to do rather than the “maybe tougher”, but “higher return” activities;
• The co-worker who likes to chat/gossip/complain;
• Surfing the internet … reading news, shopping etc;
• Instant message;
• Personal email;
• Wandering to the water cooler/coffee shop etc.

Obviously some distractions are welcome when we are relaxing, but if you want to achieve something with your day then you need to give it your undivided attention. There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from being efficient at your job … it sets you up for success in your career, it establishes your credentials with your employers and it just feels good.

So … write down some goals for the day, create your to do list and plough through it! Plan to take breaks, possibly to reward yourself at various points through the day … but don’t get interrupted or sdistracted from your tasks. Try it … you might surprise yourself!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

One of the great things about coming into the workforce from school is that you have the opportunity to start fresh, to establish the habits that will support your professional growth for many years to come. It is also a hard time because many new workers have no real understanding of the workforce and school, in my estimation, does a lousy job of preparing you for the real world.

You come from an environment where you have classes that may or may not start before Noon. If you are having a bad day then you don’t get out of bed and who notices? You can “goof off” at the back of the class, half listen to lectures, use your buddy’s notes and still get an acceptable passing mark. In your university years you can get by with a minimal work ethic, and still show a piece of paper that demonstrates you can learn, and that you did enough work to finish the course.

Obviously not all students are like this, but enough are, and it becomes the grounding for a work life that could have some nasty surprises. Here are a few thoughts …

1. Learning is a life long process … let me say that another way … you NEVER stop learning. Having said that I think a very high percentage of people don’t know how to learn effectively, they do not apply good learning techniques in the work place because they left all that behind with their school days. If you are serious about your career then you need to accept that learning is a key part of getting there … wherever “there” is!

2. Good habits need to be developed. It takes work, learning and commitment to change a habit. So … if you don’t have a “To Do” list and the boss says you really should have one … are you going to take the hint? Are you going to work at developing that habit? I don’t have any illusions about this being easy, but I do know that it is very doable. Many people will just default back to the way they always did it … and continue to fail! What is that definition of insanity again?

3. A fresh start can happen anytime … you do not have to be new to the workplace! You can make the determination that you are going to start to change your life today … now! I wrote a blog entry about goals to coincide with the new years resolutions many people have already forgotten they made.

I have many entries in my blog about personal development. Here are a few that you might want to revisit …

I had a couple of blog entries about success … the keys to success and what I have learned about success.

I wrote about one of my favorite business books … the seven habits of highly effective people.

There were a few entries targeting people new to the workforce, one from a book called dumbing down your kids, and a book recommendation Rules of Work.

I’m thinking there is plenty here to be going with … and I would be happy to add more the next time I get on this soapbox!

I have been a member of the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) for several years now. I originally joined because they offer great discounts on hotels and car rentals, that save me much more than the annual membership cost (about $100) every year. The CPSA offers sales training, has a resource center with a ton of good “stuff”, produce salary information and offer other benefits to those who need them. They also have a regular newsletter that almost always has some very relevant content for sales professionals.

There is a link to the CPSA on my blog if you are interested … I would recommend it to anyone in a sales role. The following is an article I liked from the latest newsletter.

Seven Lessons to Learn from Great Salespeople … By Kevin Eikenberry

With all due respect to the many truly outstanding salespeople, the high-pressure stereotype is one still held by many people. And while we may have experience with this type of salesperson, most of us also have experience with someone who was extremely helpful. It is those positive experiences that I want you to reflect on as you read the seven lessons below. Chances are some – or all – will be consistent with your experiences, and by reflecting on your occurrences as you read you will make these lessons even more valuable for you.

1. Listen more talk less. How can a salesperson know what you need unless they listen? If they don’t listen they are making assumptions as to your needs, wants and desires. The same is true for us. We will get much further much faster when trying to persuade or influence others when we talk less and listen more.
2. Ask more and better questions. One of the ways to talk less is by asking more questions. Great salespeople are masters at asking questions. They collect and use questions intelligently to learn more about our needs. They use questions to understand us better and to strengthen their relationship with us. Questions are one of our greatest learning tools and one of the best ways to further relationships. Whatever your work, being more skilled at asking questions will make you more successful.
3. Focus on the longer-term, big picture. The best salespeople aren’t trying to sell one car today. They are trying to sell you your next 5 (or 10) cars. They know Rome wasn’t built in a day and that they won’t reach their goals – or best serve you – by pressuring you to buy now. So it is for you in your interactions. When we think about the longer term we will make better decisions and behave more appropriately.
4. Build relationships. Business success is about relationships, and great salespeople know that. One of the fastest ways to become more successful is by building more and stronger relationships. One of the fastest ways to lose your job is by neglecting relationships. Take it from the best salespeople – business is based on relationships.
5. Follow-up and follow through. One of the ways to build relationships is to follow-up and follow through. Ever had a service provider call you and check on your satisfaction? How did you feel about that provider and his/her organization after that? How do you feel about people who send you handwritten thank you notes? How do feel when people go above and beyond to stay in touch with you and make sure you are satisfied? You feel good about them and their services, right? Apply those approaches to your work. Send a note. Remember a birthday. Mention the article you read that they would be interested in. Do what you said you were going to do. Follow-up and follow through.
6. Lose the techniques – focus on the other person. There are many helpful techniques that we can learn from training, from watching others and reading. We look for a magical formula or approach. While it is important to learn the techniques, they will only help us if we integrate them into who we are and what we stand for. For example, there is a difference between practicing active listening techniques and actively listening. When the focus is on the result, we relax and use the techniques in support of the end goal. Great salespeople learn the skills, but focus on their Customer. In an almost paradoxical way, by focusing on the Customer (remember your colleagues and your boss are your Customers too) and being sincere and genuine, you will gain the advantage of the techniques you were trying to use to begin with.
7. Help them buy. People don’t want to be sold, but they do want to buy. Just like a master salesperson, help people be persuaded to your position. Help them see the value. Help them own the decision. Help them remove the roadblocks – real or perceived.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential go to www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Every company needs the ability to sell its product or service, and depending upon your environment there are different approaches to achieving that end. In the staffing industry we sell our services to other businesses and the approach to that is really quite clear.

At its most basic level the sales team must find opportunities where clients have a need, and bring those clients a good solution. If the client is happy with the solution then they will buy and we can start to demonstrate why we are a company to work with. We maintain a relationship with that client and over time demonstrate our ability to service their needs and our ability to deal effectively with issues as they arise. The relationship and trust will build and like all relationships there needs to be good communication and an effort to ensure the client is happy.

The very effective salespeople in our industry will build and nurture long term relationships, which will lead to more contacts and more relationships. Over time they build a “base of business” that is a result of the constant hard work and a commitment to service, that client’s demand. It can be a very rewarding and well paying career for people who are willing to make that effort.

The ground work for success comes from picking up the phone and establishing contact, and one by one building those relationships. It comes from keeping those clients top of mind and getting yourself to be top of their mind. It is not about schmoozing or golf or gifts or other “old school” approaches to sales. What it is about is credibility, trust, professionalism and a true willingness to understand the client’s needs. It is about truly listening and about finding ways to accommodate the client’s needs, about helping your client to be successful!

The staffing industry is a great place to be a salesperson. The sales cycle is very quick, the clients need people and you have access to people so if you can build trust, deliver results and provide great service then you will be successful. I think the coming years are going to be banner years for our industry as we are able to help companies meet their needs despite skills shortages, boomers retiring and increasing global competition. I would love to be starting out on my sales career in the staffing industry … hard work, good time management and a service-oriented attitude equals SUCCESS!

Note to all sales people in the staffing industry … it starts by picking up the phone and then by getting out of the office and meeting clients. Success really isn’t so hard to achieve, but it does take effort.

What is the value of loyalty? What is the value of a good team player? I think this is the point that Mastercard would say … priceless!

It is strange but true that many people love the opportunity to run down a colleague, an associate, a family member or somebody else who really deserves different treatment.

It is a very unattractive trait to whisper about someone’s failings or perceived failings; or to try to deflect one’s own failings by pointing the finger somewhere else.

If you get a reputation for gossiping and running down your colleagues then you will lose credibility fast, you will never be a true leader, you will not be someone that people want on their team.

The kind of people that I admire will be supportive of their team, will find good things to say about people, will not repeat destructive comments … I would describe them as people with character.

A person with character will listen more than they talk, and if they hear gossip about others then they keep it to themselves. This is the kind of person who makes a good team player, the kind of person who people want to be around. This is the kind of person that will build people up, not knock them down!

Make it a goal to be a person of character!

Every now and then I will broach this subject, typically prompted by a particular situation. I have written blog entries about contractor ethics and the importance to the individual of their reputation. I have also written about staffing industry ethics related to some of the tactics employed by companies that clearly devalue our industry.

Today I want to talk about one particular “foundation practice” of the staffing industry … candidate permission. This is a cornerstone of our industry and when companies circumvent this process they (a) put candidates in a bad position; (b) put clients in an awkward position and (c) put reputable agencies into a poor situation!

The way our industry works is that if we want to present a candidate to a client’s opportunity then we get specific permission to present the candidate to that opportunity before we present their resume. When the next agency calls the same candidate for the same job then that agency should confirm with the candidate that they have not been presented to the same opportunity already. The candidate should only give permission to one agency so that a client does not receive multiple submissions of the same candidate.

The reality is that multiple submissions occur anyway because (a) the candidate “forgot” they had already talked to someone; (b) agencies make administrative errors and submit thinking they had permission; or (c) some agencies employ the unethical practice of submitting candidates without permission.

The right answer is that the first agency to receive explicit permission should represent the candidate. Other agencies should bow out gracefully, if given the chance. Many clients will actually actively dismiss any candidate who is presented more than once, from the running. This forces the industry to pay attention and employ good business practices, but can be hard on the candidates where they did nothing wrong.

Candidates can request of any agency that they withdraw their submission, and the agency should be bound by the request of the candidate. Sometimes an over eager recruiter will try to put pressure on the candidate, and if that is the prevailing culture of the agency then the industry association will try to educate them about good industry practices.

The bottom line is that the staffing industry uses standard practices that when applied ethically ensure that the industry operates effectively. When rogue agencies play games they bring us all into disrepute and the industry suffers. This is really unnecessary at a time when our industry is on the brink of unprecedented skills shortages that should see our value to our clients increase substantially.

Staffing companies that belong to an industry association like ACSESS in Canada sign off on a Code of Conduct that ensures our clients don’t have to deal with unpleasant situations like this, where agencies can end up “bickering” about who had the right to present a candidate.

I believe that ALL agencies should be forced to belong to the industry association and that the association should have the right to force good behaviors on those agencies who bring the industry into disrepute.

Success Built to Last … by Jeff Porras, Stewart Emery and Mark Thompson

This is a book that sets out to tell the reader about success … what it really is, (and isn’t); how successful people stay successful; the psychology of success; and the action styles associated with success.

The book’s authors interview hundreds of “successful” people from around the world, President of countries, billionaires, Nobel lauriats, celebrities and CEOs along with “unsung heroes” who have had an impact without fame or fortune.

Their contention is that the traditional dictionary definition of success is outdated, at the end of the day the book talks about three “circles” that need to be aligned to attain success … “Meaning”, ”Thought” and “Action”.

Some of the points that come through in this book …

1. People have to have meaning to their lives in order to be able to dedicate themselves to the cause … whether it is a company, idea, charity or any other driver in their lives.
2. People’s “personal capital” is what defines their ability to be successful. This is not about money, but it about their skills, relationships, enthusiasm and talents. In today’s work environment this is also your job security … the stronger you are in these areas the more likely you will be employed.
3. People with a driving passion about “what they do” do not look for “balance” in their lives. They truly live their lives and are happy because they do not resent any part of it.
4. Trying to emulate perceived success is not the way to be successful. You need to find a passion, and apply all of your skills towards that passion.
5. You don’t have to be naturally charismatic to be successful, a passion about a goal/target/mission will transform you and people see that.
6. People with a passion will battle through adversity, problems, set-backs. It is not so much about “positive thinking” but more about a style of always moving forward towards the goal.
7. Successful people let go of things that don’t work … and move on towards the end goal.
8. Often successful people create a goal (sometimes a Big Hairy Audacious Goal) but don’t know how to get there. They just eat the elephant one bite at a time!
9. Successful people challenge those around them … to create the right kind of creative tension from which new ideas emerge.
10. Successful people build networks and strong relationships and they draw their networks into helping them with their mission.

Worth a read … the more books like this that I read, the more I broaden my own thinking. I might not always agree with the authors, but there is always something in these books that strikes a chord.

I received the following comment on yesterday’s blog entry … and thought it would be a good topic for today.

Kevin, Good blog on employees doing “whatever it takes”. What are your opinions on those who at crunch time bail out and do whatever it takes for their family commitments? As a CEO how do you view these employees and how do you deal with employees who feel guilt about not being able to “keep up” with the single people?

The comment can be broken down into different parts:

1. What do I think of people that bail at crunch time?
2. What do I think of people that do whatever it takes for their family commitments?
3. How do I deal with employees who feel guilty about not keeping up with the single people?

What do I think of people that bail at crunch time? (Kevin’s thoughts)

When the job NEEDS you, then you really should make that happen. There will always be crazy circumstances that mean you can’t meet the commitment, but generally if it truly is a crunch then you should make the sacrifice.

Some caveats … if the job is ALWAYS needing you then that is not fair. If it is an occasional thing then you should “suck it up”. If it is a regular thing, but not all the time, then you should negotiate a “quid pro quo” that makes everybody feel good.

What do I think if you bail? I am bothered, and it colors my opinion of you.

What do I think of people that do whatever it takes for their family commitments?

Generally … I am a big fan of bending yourself out of shape to meet family commitments. Through my career I have been able to find time to coach both my kids in soccer (for many years) and have tried to attend every event possible. Having said that, there were times that work “got in the way”, and I missed some things. Quite often making the family commitment meant working later or going back to the office late or traveling on late/early flights in order to meet my business commitments. Most times I could work it out.

I believe in balance, but you have to be fair to the job too. Today we see many examples of alternate work arrangements and when these are well planned I think they give the company access to great people and the people access to rewarding jobs … in a mutually flexible arrangement. I like these arrangements.

“Doing whatever it takes” for family commitments is a good thing, as long as it is fair to both sides. When I perceive that the company loses in the deal then it bothers me.

How do I deal with employees who feel guilty about not keeping up with the single people?

In my experience there really is not a lot of difference between the commitment demonstrated by single people or by married people. Individuals make their choices, regardless of their marital status.

Guilt is a crazy thing and we all suffer from it to some degree. Partly it is the conscience that makes us thoughtful people, partly it is a negative erosion of our self belief system!

My advice to people is to make their decisions and live with them. If you decide to pick a family event over a work commitment that is your right, and if you make the decisions consciously then you also realize it may impact how you are viewed. At certain points in your life you might well choose family before work, but recognize those who do put work first will see the rewards.

Most CEOs are family people too, so you might be surprised at how understanding we might be about these type of conflicts. Having said that, if you are letting people down with your decision then I would be disappointed and that would color my perception of you.

One final point … it is important not to assume how others (including CEOs) think. If you are worried about how you are viewed … then ask.

The staffing industry is a fast-paced environment. Our clients rely on us to quickly find them resources to meet their needs; the professionals that work with us expect us to be able to find them opportunities.

In this kind of environment, it is not unusual to see our staff going “above and beyond” their regular job description in order to “make something good happen”. Working longer hours, going out of the way to meet with clients and candidates, personally delivering resumes and contracts … these are all relatively commonplace in an industry that rewards those who are diligent, willing to work hard and have a “Do Whatever It Takes” attitude!

For some time now, Eagle has been preparing for a big technology move … a transition away from the systems we have “grown up with”, to a new state-of-the-art industry environment. For us, this has been a big endeavor with hundreds of man-hours effort devoted to the preparation.

Over the last week we executed on that transition, with the weekend being the primary “cut over” time. Wow! It is an exciting time for us as a company, but also a little nerve wracking for management as we make this move. So … to have a company with the kind of people that can “Do Whatever It Takes” is a real bonus! The number of hours people worked over the last week was phenomenal and today we have largely cut over to our new environment because of that effort.

I read a lot about the different generational differences, and clearly there are some … but when “stuff” needs to be done, it is just people that make it happen. Not boomers or GenX, or GenY … just people! Under this kind of stress you see the mettle of those people.

Our transition saw members of the executive team performing data entry tasks alongside some off our most junior people. When it was time to go for coffees, snacks, meals or whatever was needed, then we all took our turns going. When I looked around near midnight for several days, I saw lots of faces glued to their screen … “Doing Whatever It Takes”.

We are fortunate that we have a team of people who will “Do Whatever It Takes” … they make Eagle the company that it is!