Welcome to the August 22, 2007 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

What's Inside:

1.  Hiring and Retaining Top P-I-C-Ks 

Have you ever employed or worked along side another employee whose best days have passed?  What about continuing to use a painfully slow and inefficient computer because it still works?

Just the other day, I emptied my garage and office of over a dozen CPUs, printers, monitors. The cargo area, back seat, passenger seat, floors of my SUV were filled with equipment and components.  During the short drive to a local computer recycling center, the similarities between no-longer-skilled employees and working-but-outdated computers struck me.

Let's start with the computers first. The simple truth is these functional, reliable and hard-working computers were no longer able to keep up with the tasks at hand - and when they did, it took too long.  Booting up took  5 to 10 minutes, sometimes longer. The operating systems - you know the Windows "stuff" like Windows 95 and 98 - kept crashing. The CPUs took too long to process information.  They couldn't handle new software upgrades.  The hard drives were full and the boards couldn't support new ones. The modems needed to be replaced because high-speed connections replaced dial-up.  And let's not forget the 14 inch green monitors.  Need I go on?

That same resourceful philosophy for many of us, my friends, doesn't stop with computers.  Many workforces today are filled with loyal, dependable, hard working employees whose skills don't match the needs of the organization anymore.  It's been reported that the skills for over 60% of all jobs are held by less than 20% of the population.  In 1950, 60% of jobs required unskilled labor.  Today, less then 15% of these jobs are unskilled and the number is falling fast.

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not promoting a wholesale liquidation of employees.  In fact, I'd suggest that many of these employees are working harder than ever and even improving their skills through training.  The problem is that in today's fast-paced, rapidly changing, no-room-for-waste environment, many of these same employees are just not keeping up with the increasing demands of the job.  Why? 

For the purpose of this column, let's put the motivation factor away.  That leaves us with P-I-C-K, the four predictors of employee success in today's workplace.

P stands for Performance (or Pace).  To compete in today's fast-paced, competitive markets, employees need to produce more in less time with less waste.  Referring back to my computer analogy, employees who run on a 386, 486 or Pentium processor can still get the work done; it just takes them longer. But when working hard, they throw off a lot of heat, too - aka "wasting energy."  While the older processors were next-generation at one time, today they are relics, unable to keep up with higher expectations and more demands. How many employees do you have that are still working with yesterday's processors when their responsibilities require speeds only available with 3 GHz or more duo- or quad-core speed?  (For you non-techies, that's the equivalent of fast-walking vs. driving a NASCAR!)

I stands for Innovation.  Innovation fosters growth.  Innovative people do more than just throw out new ideas, the proverbial crap against the wall, and hope something sticks.  Innovators identify critical constraints and find solutions to relieve bottlenecks.  They see the opportunity in the "white space," where others just see nothing at all.  How effective is your organization at stimulating innovation? How innovative are your employees? Do they have the ability to get beyond obstacles and grow your business?

C stands for Complexity.  History may have a habit of repeating itself but life sure seems to get more complicated every day.  Analytical and complex-problem-solving skills are critical competencies in today's ambiguous, paradoxical and confusing business environment.  Unfortunately, just like yesterday's computer being incredibly inefficient at running a complex spreadsheet or watching a DVD, many employees aren't equipped with the skills or motivation to perform simultaneous complex tasks efficiently or effectively.  Education and intelligence don't necessarily equate to multi-tasking and the ability to work quickly.   Do you have employees with the horsepower and skill to decipher and unravel your business's toughest problems at a pace equal or faster than the competition?

K stands for Knowledge. The days of graduation signaling the end of learning are long gone.  Lifelong continuous learning is more than just a buzz-phrase.  It's the catalyst for innovation and competitive advantage.  Knowledge is more than information. It's more than academic degrees, technical certifications, and years of experience.  Knowledge is taking what you've learned and experienced and applying it in ways you never thought imaginable.  How effective is your culture at attracting employees passionate about continuous learning?  How well do your best and brightest apply the knowledge in effective and productive ways?

PICK sets a strong foundation for evaluating the preparedness of your workforce, your leadership and production bench-strength, and leadership growth potential.  PICK can be  accurately assessed using tools like ASSESS™, Prevue™, Business Values and Motivators™ and CriteriaOne® DISC.  

How prepared is your business to attract and retain employees who are the best PICK?

To discuss how to evaluate your workforce or leadership preparedness, call us at 800.803.4303 or 717.291.4640.

2. Perfect Labor Storm Indicators

Jobs are changing.

     Workforce growth is slowing.

           Educational attainment levels are lagging.

                Skill gaps are rising. 

The Perfect Labor Storm is imminent.

Where Have All Your Workers Gone?  Learn more about The Perfect Labor Storm: why skilled worker shortages, aging populations, education and skills gaps will change the way all people do business.  

Watch these brief Perfect Labor Storm videos now:  

Where Have All The Workers Gone? Skills Gaps  (6:33)
Where Have All The Workers Gone? Skilled Worker Crisis  (5:19)
Then please forward these links to co-workers, colleagues, bosses, reports, and customers.  Thanks.  

The videos are also available on The Perfect Labor Storm website.  

Comments? Please leave comments on the YouTube.com site or email: comments@perfectlaborstorm.com

3.  Wake Up Everybody! New DIVERSITY video online

Diversity is no longer just a black and white problem. The diversity of diversity issues is astounding: race, regional origin, gender, skin color, religion, hair style (or lack of it), stature (tall/short/fat/thin), generations and so on.     

Yesterday SPS was the gold sponsor for Diversity Day, sponsored by The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry. To kick off the event, I created the following video, Diversity: Wake Up Everybody! The response was great and several companies requested copies.  I posted it on YouTube for everyone to view but if anyone is interested in purchasing a copy, please send us an email.

4.  Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 (soft and hard cover versions) now on sale. (Delivery date on or about September 20, 2007.)  Order today and save 25%.  

NEW Chapters!  Generational Conflicts in the Workplace, Managing the Future Workforce, Attracting Young Employees in a Seller's Job Market plus hundreds of new facts, trends and stats.

Read what one reader has said:  

Perfect Labor Storm 2.0  will be one of the most quoted books over the next decades. Ira did his homework on this one. Anyone who depends on having a strong workforce for the next twenty years better heed his warnings and prepare accordingly.

Bobby Foster
The Organizer Plus Co., LLC

Save 25% off retail by ordering now.

Hard Cover: $29.99         Soft Cover: $19.99  

To order Perfect Labor Storm 2.0, call 800.803.4303.  Discounts for orders of 10 or more.  Specify hard or soft cover.

Read the pre-publication reviews:  

Below you will find just a sampling of the trends, stats, and facts that will change the way you do business.

If you took every single job in the U.S. today and shipped it to China . . .       

                                                                                                       .......China would still have a labor surplus.  

China's Generation Y accounts for nearly one-sixth of the Chinese population, equivalent to two-thirds of the entire U.S. population.   

By 2025 more than 75% of the workforce in India will be from Generation Y and younger generations.  

In the United States, Gen Y and younger will make up just less than 60%.

Trends and stats like this are just an inkling of the information you'll find in the revised, updated and expanded Perfect Labor Storm 2.0, including several chapters about managing generational clashes.  

Keep reading future issues of this newsletter for more announcements about the book release and updated Perfect Storm Indicators.  

Perfect Labor Storm e-book published earlier this year is still available.

You can order a download copy of PLS, a great value at $9.95. 

5. A Solution to "I hate performance reviews":

Introducing KeyneLinktm Performance Management System

KeyneLink is a revolutionary performance management system that links your organization's vision, values and operating objectives with the daily activities of your people.   

KeyneLink is part process, part software, part roadmap, and all about successful performance.  

KeyneLink motivates your employees to align with your organization's operating objectives, achieving results and heading off performance problems before they become problems or distractions.  

For more information visit KeyneLink Performance Management System or call 800.803.4303 to schedule a web meeting demo.

6. CriteriaOne Certification Workshop: October 31-November 2, 2007

Learn to build a competency-based selection and performance management system to align employees with the right skills to meet the competitive demands of your business.

"Light years ahead of the competition" says one CriteriaOne participant.

"A must for anyone interested in lowering turnover and improving productivity," says another.

Don't miss the only certification workshop in 2007.

Click here to learn more about CriteriaOne Competency Modeling Certification, the whole person approach to selecting and managing employees.

7. Speaking Schedule: Ira S Wolfe  

2007:  

September 14 - ISA Worldwide (New York City)

September 18 - 2007 Material Handling & Logistics Conference (Salt Lake City) October 16 - Shumaker Williams PC (Camp Hill PA)

October 17 - Associated Builders and Contractors (Lancaster PA)

November 13 - Carlisle (PA) Chamber of Commerce  

2008:  

January 21 - Institute of Management Consultants (Dallas, TX)

January 22 - Optimance (Dallas, TX)  

Call 717.291.4640 to schedule Ira for your next meeting or conference.

8. Quotes from Hire Authorities

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

Permission is granted to consultants, managers, business owners and HR professionals to reproduce content from this newsletter for your internal publications, or to distribute copies to your workforce, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Ira S Wolfe and Success Performance Solutions. Copyright 2007 Ira S Wolfe." We also hope you will forward the newsletter in its entirety and recommend to others that they subscribe.

Ira S. Wolfe Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission