Sunday, May 26, 2013

Labor Shortage – What am I kidding …. ? No!



Today, many companies are reporting that their number one constraint on growth is the inability to hire workers with the necessary skills.- William J. Clinton

A report was  on Tuesday) this past week that clearly pointed out a huge issue we face in our State and specifically in the booming Capital Region …

An inability to fill jobs for the future and the problem is very difficult in the five-county Capital Region where businesses need better qualified talent, especially in technology.

The study, prepared by the business group America’s Edge (http://www.americasedge.org), says seven in 10 jobs created in New York from 2008 to 2018 will require some type of formal education beyond high school, and more than 80 percent of the fastest growing and high-wage jobs will require at least a two-year degree. 

Mid-level skills are those requiring more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. The report urges support for implementation of “college- and career-ready standards and evidence-based high school models.”

The report says it’ll be tough to create a pipeline of skilled workers when 23 percent of high school students fail to graduate on time, only 37 percent of public school students graduate “college and career ready,” and too many drop out.

Many called this potential situation a few years back – yours truly being one. Our education programs were not aligning to the new needs of the job marketplace and educators and businesses were talking – but not really taking action so now we see this problem getting ready to bite us on the butt.

Some of the comments.  Jenn O’Connor, New York State director, America’s Edge stated that she believes the state’s teachers and the education department are at odds over how Common Core testing is being implemented and applied. "We believe in linking and aligning the Common Core standards to real-world expectations and relevant work experience. We understand that it certainly has been divisive and we’re interested to see how it continues to roll out."

David Rooney, senior vice president, Center for Economic Growth  says businesses want to see graduates that not only have mastered hard skills. "It’s also the soft skills: Can I make sure that I am on time? (That) I’m ready to work when I arrive at an organization? That I’ve got the proper communications skills and the basic skills I need to be successful in the workplace?"

How did New York get in this situation? 

Many have viewpoints such as:

·         Lack of  communication between business and education on the skills that are needed in the changing workplace
·         Lack of communication between education and government
·         And my thought: Lack of action on all parties – education, government, employers and employees - to plan, identify the new paradigm of work and skills needed to survive. The market has changes as fast as technology has changed – and this will continue.

What can you do?

Work today. Plan for the future. Prepare for changes. Identify the trends in your job or industry and don’t wait for someone to give you skills training – go out and get it yourself. Coach those you know to not just follow the traditional route – from high school to a Bachelors degree – but rather to work on developing a skill or set of skills, be employable and then further education to whatever level of choosing. 

There are many options to develop skills. Online education is exploding. Certificate (6 months to two-year programs) are available in technology, the trades or other specialized areas. It does not have to require going to a classroom every day; it could be study at home or a combination.
Above all, take action – be accountable – commit to your development and marketplace employability. Only you control your destiny, no one else!

And thank you for reading this. - Dan 

Dan Moran
President & Founder
Next-Act:
Career Management & Transition Specialists
Corporate Management Services
Celebrating 25 years providing career & corporate management services in 2013!
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: 518-641-8968
eFax: 586-279-4212
facebook    twitter
Visit the Assessment Center: next-act.com/assessment-center.cfm
Manage Performance & Achievement: next-act.com/prescriptive-performance-analysis.cfm



Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Job Market report May 22 2013



Outr of the country for a few weeks ...
______________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release

May 22 2013

Job Postings Still  Strong but a bit down after a 33% surge

(Albany, NY,  May 22 , 2013) –  Job postings cooled a bit this past seven days after a run up of over 33% the prior two weeks. Postings came in at 1990 compared to 2215 the week before – still strong “The market continues to be strong as we enter into a holiday weekend which is very good. Next week will be lower – but I expect the market to roar back after the Memorial Day pause”, stated Dan Moran, of Next-Act (www.next-act.com), a career transition management firm located in Colonie.

This is on top of new from the NYS Labor Department hat showed the unemployment rate in the region dropping to 6.5%, the lowest since the same month in 2008. “The market is clearly on a rebound – a strong rebound”.

Other markets in NYS showed mixed results with some markets up, some a bit down but overall strong. The Capital Region continues to still outpace Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, all larger markets with more employers and population.  

National Job Scene

Job postings have been very strong nationally as well. There were 624,00 jobs this week companied to 623,000 the week prior. “Flat but much higher – that is good”.


About Next-Act


Next-Act, a division of DVG, Inc. is a career management & transition firm directed by Dan Moran, the Founder & President of the firm. Moran contributes over thirty years experience in career consulting, business and human resources management. In 2012, his firm will celebrate 24 years in business. Moran is noted for his expertise in helping today’s “boomers” move on to fulfilling second careers, while helping executives and professionals achieve their career goals. The firm also provides human resources consulting and corporate services to companies. Moran is also a certified facilitator for C.J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now! &  Get Hired Now! programs.





Dan Moran
President & Founder
Next-Act:
Career Management & Transition Specialists
Corporate Management Services
Celebrating 25 years providing career & corporate management services in 2013!
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: 518-641-8968
eFax: 586-279-4212
facebook    twitter
Visit the Assessment Center: next-act.com/assessment-center.cfm
Manage Performance & Achievement: next-act.com/prescriptive-performance-analysis.cfm





Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Three Steps to Career (and Life!) Success: Step Three: Give Yourself Permission



Note: I am out of the country for a few weeks recharging in Italy. I wanted to set up a series of blogs on the three essential steps to success in career – and share one each week with you in the hope that you will inspired to begin the journey. This is the intro to my new book soon to be published, “In the Whirlpool of Life & Career?”. Thx- Dan

The Three Steps to Career (and Life!) Success
And you cannot skip them …
Step Three: Give Yourself Permission

Over the past twenty-five years I have been in this business, I have learned one very important thing about people in the midst of change …

 … Change is a process – a sequential process – and you cannot leapfrog one step, or you failure or enjoy a miserable journey.

 Most however try to cut corners. They launch into a change in their career or life without a plan. They jump over the basics – and they find themselves caught in a fog: a feeling of not knowing where to go or what to do next.

 It is natural. We are a “want it to be today” society that expects immediate results.

 In many situations, technology has enabled us to expect this.

 But in others – not. Change in career and life is just one of those life situations that takes time, dedication, and patience. It takes having a plan of action, or you will find yourself lost. It required a dedication – a dedication to achievement that cannot be daunted – by anyone or any situation.
 I have coached my clients over the years to look at the process as Three-Steps:
  •  Acceptance
  •  Commitment
  •  Giving yourself permission.
Three powerful words – three powerful states of being to move through.
 Onward!
Give Yourself Permission
______________________________________________
Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.  – Joy Page

I want you to visualize with me for a moment. Picture if you will a person – male or female, your choice – of normal build and stature. 

Picture that person beginning to walk up a steep hill. 

Now here’s the visual … 

 … picture that person with a 50 lb. boulder stick on their butt that won’t come off. 

Yup – hanging there on their backside. Think they are ascending easily? Hell no.
When one does not give them self permission to achieve and change, they have the commitment but cannot move. Like trying to climb with a boulder on your butt. They will try but the climb will be difficult – real difficult.

Throughout this process, you will be asked to give yourself permission to accept, achieve, act, etc. It is an ongoing process that in life and career, never ends. It is a critical process in career & growth management that alone defines the difference between success, and failure to succeed. 

The definition of permission:

per·mis·sion, noun, (/pÉ™rˈmiSHÉ™n/
  1. Consent; authorization.
  2. An official document giving authorization.

Permission is consenting and “authorizing” to yourself that you can.

Most are brought up in life with a golden rule, Do good for others. We are not taught – or allowed – to do good for ourselves, without guilt. It is not part of the golden rules. So we go through life doing all for others, but not for ourselves because we were told that is right. 

Not until a defining moment happens -  defining change in life or career – does one begin to think and say to themselves:

“This is okay. I have done for others throughout my life and it is right and good to do for myself now”. 

 Accepting that statement is powerful and a game changer. In my practice, I deal with this process all the time. It is epically difficult for moms or others who have the responsibility to care for others – it is not intuitive to them; they need to adjust the mind setting, and they usually do. I find myself reaffirming with them at most every session, “Remember, it I okay to do for yourself, right”?

As I write this part of the plan, I am working with a highly-accomplished woman who built a business, grow it while raising children, sold it and is ready for the next part of career life. 

She remarks to me often, “I never believed I could be where I am today – not doing for others or my family – but doing or myself”.  

Not really true, her next achievement will help her family and others, she just doesn’t see that yet – but she has given herself permission, and that is huge and life-defining. 

So stop asking yourself should I – do it and do it now. Give yourself permission to be all you want to be and to soar with the eagles! 

Execute the Permission agreement that follows and live and grow by it. And thank you for reading this. - Dan

My Permission Agreement, entered into on this date:
 (Insert Date Here)
Without hesitation (that already occurred!) I willingly enter into this agreement to give myself permission to the following:
I give myself permission to:
Do for me once and for all …
To love those I love …
To honor those who deserve my honor …
To begin the journey to personal and professional success …
To achieve my goals in my quest for personal and professional success …
To invest in myself as required …
To open my mind to opportunities no matter how out-of-the-box they may be …
To achieve – really achieve …
Add: ______________________________________________
Add: ______________________________________________
And to be proud of myself …
Agreed before myself, those I love and who love me, and my God:
___________________________________________
 (Your Signature)

Sunday, May 5, 2013

The Three Steps to Career (and Life!) Success Step Two: Commitment



Note: I am out of the country for a few weeks recharging in Italy. I wanted to set up a series of blogs on the three essential steps to success in career – and share one each week with you in the hope that you will inspired to begin the journey. This is the intro to my new book soon to be published, “In the Whirlpool of Life & Career?”. Thx- Dan

The Three Steps to Career (and Life!) Success
And you cannot skip them …

Step Two: Commitment

Over the past twenty-five years I have been in this business, I have learned one very important thing about people in the midst of change …

… Change is a process – a sequential process – and you cannot leapfrog one step, or you failure or enjoy a miserable journey.

Most however try to cut corners. They launch into a change in their career or life without a plan. They jump over the basics – and they find themselves caught in a fog: a feeling of not knowing where to go or what to do next.

It is natural. We are a “want it to be today” society that expects immediate results.
In many situations, technology has enabled us to expect this.
But in others – not. Change in career and life is just one of those life situations that takes time, dedication, and patience. It takes having a plan of action, or you will find yourself lost. It required a dedication – a dedication to achievement that cannot be daunted – by anyone or any situation.
I have coached my clients over the years to look at the process as Three-Steps:
  •  Acceptance
  •  Commitment
  •  Giving yourself permission.
Three powerful words – three powerful states of being to move through.
Onward!
Commitment
The key to success in life and career is going out on the limb - Making your commitment. Here is the definition of commitment from the traditional dictionary sources:

com·mit·ment  noun \ke-mit-ment\

1. a : an act of committing to a charge or trust: as (1) : a consignment to a penal or mental institution (2) : an act of referring a matter to a legislative committee b : mittimus

2. a : an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date b : something pledged c : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled: a commitment to a cause.

Putting commitment into word relevant to the journey you have accepted and have now embarked on:
Commitment is putting your words and actions into play, putting your butt on the line and taking a critical step forward toward the success you desire, have earned and deserve. It is first accepting success --- then committing to success.

Very simply put, you need to accept your situation and need  and as I noted, this is the most important step.
With acceptance in your hand, commitment is a bit easier but certainly not an easy step.  Making a commitment usually means making a sacrifice in some manner. It might be time, it could be financial resources, it could be impact to relationships & family or more.

But no matter what the sacrifices, commitment is absolutely essential to move forward. No ifs or buts.
And, it is the step in the process that, sadly, most fail. And fail to move forward
Okay, why does this happen? Why do many fail to commit.

We are just lazy as a lot.

It is much easier to do nothing rather than commit to do something. . We are slothful, idle, immobile, inactive and whatever other terms describe just plain laziness. French author Jules Renard once wrote, "Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."

Laziness is also the failure of a person to  manage the time and resources they have been provided. Because we all have different skills and abilities, the quantity and quality of our work can never be a true indicator of dedication.

One person may be highly skilled at a task, yet lack the motivation to be productive. Someone else may have limited skills, yet choose to overcome shortcomings by putting forth more effort.

But here is the key: Because no action is required in the sin of laziness, it is one of the easiest of sins to commit. Unlike with pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony and lust, sloth is performed through a passive response.

I see this in my practice of helping others achieve success in their life and career – or imply get themselves out of  not-good situation.

They come with a “pain” – disconnect from their employer, suffering the effects of a defining moment (defining moment: a situation or occurrence that causes one to wake up, stand up an initiate action – one of the most strongly motivating occurrences in life and required to occur to move forward and initiate change), suffering a job loss, bored with their career, and the list goes on.

Some are ready to do what is necessary to initiate change; others are waiting for the magic pill to be prescribed. They are lazy at that point and want the easy way out. They find out very quickly with me – if they are looking for the magic pill, it’s not with me. They have to exhibit both the desire and ability to move forward.

But this is not you I believe – I know it – or why would you be on this page in the book if you wanted to be lazy and not commit.

Maybe you were there – being lazy – but there has been a defining  moment to cause you to start this path of change. You have experienced an awaking o sorts; you just now need to keep it moving forward with steadfast dedication.

How do you now make the transition from acceptance to commitment?

Before yourself, your God and those special to you, it is time to make an agreement with yourself – your Commitment Agreement – and live by it as you work through this journey.

Remember that many who are lazy in life haven’t made a commitment to be different?

You have made that commitment in starting this journey – now the “rubber meets the road” – demonstrate your commitment:

My Commitment Agreement, entered into on this date:

 (Insert Date Here)
Without hesitation (that already occurred!) I willingly enter into this agreement of my commitment of the following:
I will establish reasonable and achievable goals
I will prioritize what is important and focus – focus – focus
I will organize my goals and break them down into workable parts
When faced with a challenge with my commitment, I commit to finding a solution, working it out and will not throw my hands up in frustration
I will lean on others for coaching, help and assistance – and not be too proud to ask.
I will reevaluate – I will rediscover – I will succeed.
 I am special. I am good. I am proud of myself. I go forward without inhibiting fear.
 Agreed before myself, those I love and who love me, and my God:
__________________________________________
(Your Signature)

And thank you for reading this. - Dan