Inspired Employee

Our local newspaper, The Daily News, is soliciting for colleagues, volunteers, retirees, students who make life better in the Bay Area.
DUE JULY 31! They are looking for the names of people who donate time, drop off clothes, send in money, help struggling students and REACH OUT to those in need. Keep it short – 60 words or less.
If you know someone, please send the information so they can be recognized for their good deeds:

The Daily News
c/o Unsung Heroes
255 Constituiontion Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1108

OR email: unsungheroes@dailynewsgroup.com

The Daily News will print the names of nominees with the testimonials, then ask for readers to vote for choices. The results will be printed in a Pull-out section in the newspaper, with the profiles of the Peninsula’s unsung heroes.

What a great idea for community acknowledgement and recognition. Does your paper do this? It would be easy to start a tradition using the Daily News as a shinning example!!  Contact the Editor at baydailynews.com for more information.

July 27th, 2010 | Tags: Daily News, good deeds, heroes, unsung heroes, volunteers | Category: Employee Recognition, Ideas, Recognition Events | Leave a comment

Set sail in your career! Key steps to successfully manage your career 
Step 1: Complete a Self-Assessment
• Identify:
o Skills Inventory
o Competencies
o Interest
o Conditions in which you prefer to work

Step 2: Create a list of career and job choices to explore
• Analyze
o Results from self-assessment
• Determine
o Possible career and job choices based on wants, needs, and results from self-assessment

Step 3: Research each potential job choice
• Review job description
• Identify required skills and competencies
• Identify gaps in skills and experience
• Consider tangible and intangible benefits
• Complete informational interviewing and networking around those positions

Step 4: Develop a Career Action Plan
• Set short term and long term goals based on career choices
o Identify potential pitfalls and what you can do to prevent them
• Create an action plan to meet career goals

CAUTION! >>THREE Warnings!

• Don’t make a career change in reaction to one or two negative experiences on the job
• Don’t make a career change solely based on money
• Don’t change careers without researching all options

July 22nd, 2010 | Tags: career, goals | Category: Ideas, Training | Leave a comment

Happy… Estatic…So so…. what do you think about what you DO? When you have high levels of job satisfaction, you’ll perform better and in turn can better contribute to your company.  Without job satisfaction, you’ll  risk career opportunities through low motivation and/or performance and the organization stands to lose due to turnover and low productivity.

 What makes you love coming to work is important. It is different for everyone. Start with this list and customize it to fit you.

• Make a list of what is making you happy at work.
• Indicate which items are related to the organization, your department, your specific job.
• Identify what is needed to change or improve your satisfaction, such as:

1. Additional/less responsibilities
2. Learning opportunities
3. Additional/less challenges
4. Working in a team or being an individual contributor
5. Starting on new projects or maintaining things you know
6. Traveling and going to different stores/branches
7. Being part of a  team that is cross-trained and multi-functional

To take charge of your career and move it in the direction YOU want to go, you can talk to your manager, find a mentor, get more training, apply for a different position and collaborate with others that are making and reaching their goals.

July 20th, 2010 | Category: Ideas, Training | Comments (1)

What makes a GREAT team member? Who do you go to for help? Who does your manager want to hire to be a great addition to the team? It takes more than tech savvy, a great addition to a team has a sense of the people that are in the group, maintains a sense of humor, displays politeness, and checks in with status and offers to help.

• It takes more than technical competence to be successful in your career
• You need to be able to work well with others
• Good people skills are crucial… especially in today’s virtual workplace

Hints: Work is not the same as play (yes I know, it might look that way from the title).

• Don’t allow personal conversations to interfere with work performance – yours or others
• TMI! Don’t over-share your personal information – maintain a level of privacy
• Guard your reputation, just as if you were a “brand” make sure that you never do anything that could be perceived as unethical or questionable
• Value diversity and treat everyone with respect
• Consider other people’s feelings and treat others as you’d like to be treated. Mom was right!
• Avoid these subjects at work: Sex, Politics, Salary, Health problems, Family problems, and Religion. I used to work in a company where discussing salary was forbidden and grounds for disciplinary action. It was harsh, but we never had the grinding, horrid discussions about “I’ve been here longer and he makes $$ more than me.” In a way,  it was a relief.  

July 18th, 2010 | Tags: emotional intelligence, people skills, politeness, sense of humor, work and play | Category: Ideas, Team Building, Training | Leave a comment

It is so important to learn what you really want to do, this focus and clarity can change your life.

“Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Ella Fitzgerald
(Ella Fiztgerald is in inspired American jazz Singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. 1917-1996)

July 18th, 2010 | Tags: Ella Fiztgerald, giving up, what you really want | Category: Ideas, Quotes | Leave a comment

Don’t let a good brain go to waste!

Lifelong Learning is a deliberate progression throughout the life of an individual, where the initial acquisition of knowledge and skills is reviewed and upgraded continuously, to meet challenges set by an ever changing society.

• Don’t get left behind! Lifelong Learningis so important because there is an  acceleration of scientific and technological progress.
• Despite the increased duration of primary, secondary and university education, the knowledge and skills acquired there are not sufficient for a professional career spanning three or four decades.
• Lifelong learning will become a necessity for workers of the future. 
• The concept of lifelong learning is being used by organizations to promote a more dynamic employee base, better able to react in an agile manner to a rapidly changing business environment.

Benefits of Lifelong Learning

• Keeps your mind sharp
• Improves memory
• Increases self-confidence
• Offers an inexpensive waytotry something new
• Saves you money as you learn to “do it yourself”
• Gives you a feeling of accomplishment
• Helps you meet people who share your interests
• Builds on skills you already have
• Offers you an opportunity to learn a new skill or trade and increase your income and even gives you a new interest that you can share with family and friends

Learning Styles

People have different preferences for taking in and giving out information in a learning context – we refer to those preferences as Learning Styles.

The acronym for the 4 “single-mode” Learning Styles is VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic).

An abbreviated version of the VARK Learning Style Assessment is included in the Appendix to this Participant Guide

July 12th, 2010 | Tags: adult ed, adult learning, learning styles, life long learning, VARK | Category: Ideas, Training | Leave a comment

Volunteering can be a HUGE asset to your work and enhance your skill sets. You can “fill in the blanks” during lay-offs by volunteering and meet a new set of interesting engaged co-workers. Volunteer associations can offer many benefits to those who participate in the actual associations activities.

There are so many  types of organizations!
o Local Community Support organizations – Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, CERT (Community Emergency Response), Soup Kitchens
o Professional Organizations
 Business Support/Professional: American Society of Training and Development
 Alumni Organizations: e.g. SFSU Alumni Association, CAL Alumni
 User-groups: Java Users Group, STC (Society for Technical Communicators), Word-Press Users Group, Oracle Users Group
 Web-based Communities of Practice: .net Developer’s Journal (.net Addict BLOG)
o Community-based Service Organizations :
 Youth-oriented Organizations – YMCA, Big Brothers, Girl Scouts
 Special-needs Populations – United Way, Habitat for Humanity
o Users Groups based on a specific Idea or Issue:
 PTA -Parent – Teacher Organizations, Homeowners’ Associations, and many other personal groups, such as, Dog / Cat Rescue, Golden Gate Lab Rescue, Save the Bay

Step 1: Find the RIGHT  organization

• Conduct an Internet search or ask around, your friends and community members are a great resource. Look at Craig’s list, they often post volunteer slots.
• Determine what the organization has to offer and how many hours/days they need.
• Interview existing members to learn more, you can also ask a “shadow” a volunteer.
• Explore ways you can participate, there are often many positions to choose from.

Step 2: Determine how you want to participate               

• Consider your personal goals and desired benefits.
• Identify ways to help you achieve goals and benefits.   
• Determine your level and type of participation.
• Remain open and flexible to all the new activities and participation opportunities.

Step 3: Sign-up

• Work with the volunteer coordinator to ensure that the work meets your personal development goals & training plans.
• If there is a introduction program make sure to attend and ask the fellow volunteers for advice.

Step 4: Keep Yourself Accountable

• Assess commitment level
• Evaluate the benefits
• If it’s not working, consider changing: how you participate OR  seeking out another organization!

July 11th, 2010 | Tags: learning new skills, skills, surviving layoff, volunteer | Category: Fun in the Workplace, Ideas, Training | Leave a comment

If you think of how many emails you send … and how many people contact you… is your signature line as clear as it needs to be? Really? Look at it again.

Here is the best example of detailed email signature I have found, it is sparse and clear:
=================================
Jacqueline Smith
Position
Group
Division
Mail Stop Number
Off xxx-xxx-xxxx | Cell  xxx-xxx-xxxx  | Fax xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxx@gmail.com  | IM address | @twitter
UPCOMING Time off: date(s) returning date

disclosure
=================================
My company has a neat, concise, consistent and easy-to-read email signature. We all  use the same  typefaces, Arial, Georgia and Verdana for the same things. It really helps with scanning, you’d be surprised.

We have a standard legal disclosures, depending on your position and line of business. For customer facing jobs – we add additional information like “hours” to communicate with your customers. This is one of the easiest places to Brand your business and project the look and feel you strive for. Maybe there is a budding writer or a team that would brainstorm up the best signature line format for your group & company.

July 10th, 2010 | Tags: branding, clarity, contact list, email format, email signature line, email tools, group organization | Category: Ideas, Training | Leave a comment

Have you ever been in a job interview and they keep asking questions such as,

• “How do you handle stress?”
• “How many hours of overtime do you typically work in a week?” or
• “Are you available for week-end work during projects?”

Do the red warning flags start waving? Maybe the interviewer is trying to tell you …..

“There is no work / life balance here!”
In companies were overtime is the norm, many things happen to the workers: more accidents, less quality, more chaos at home, more miscommunication and several other signals…. that enough is enough.

Steps to Improve Your Work/Life Balance
 

1. Evaluate your current Work/Life Balance
2. Determine what really is important to you
3. Manage your time – on and off the job
4. Ask for and/or get assistance at home
5. Negotiate changes with your manager

Not sure if you are out of balance?

Work/Life Balance quizzes are available at the following websites:

• http://www.quintcareers.com/work-life_balance_quiz.html
• http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/is-your-life-running-you-ragged

 There is a benefit to COMPANIES which maintain a good balance:

1. Lower Turnover
2. Less Absenteeism
3. Reduced Health Care Costs
4. Higher Morale
5. Greater organizational commitment
6. Better Customer Service
7. Increased Productivity

July 9th, 2010 | Tags: fatigue, overtime, work deadlines, work life balance | Category: Ideas, Team Building, Training | Leave a comment