May 26th, 2009 by cbarber
In his brilliant book, Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt told the story of life in Ireland during its most impoverished years. His family was always “on the dole,” but that described every family he knew. Everyone shared a playing field that was all about just surviving.
I’ve been thinking about how different (and similar) that is for people in America. The sad truth is, we have been evolving to a country of haves and have-nots. With a long-dwindling middle class, it’s been feast or famine. Feast for about 10% of our overall population and some level of famine for the rest. Let’s face it, we’ve all known for too long about people in this country who have perfected hand-to-mouth living. Even during the “go-go 90s,” a significant percentage of Americans were two paychecks away from losing their homes.
Can we assume that people who have struggled for years have a leg up on the rest of us now? Will their survival skills, learned in the school of hard knocks, be their edge in a time when blue-, white- and pink-collared workers have seen their jobs vanish? Will the adjustments they’ve made to live modestly be their advantage now that thousands more people face the “new reality” every day? As in work, will those with the honed skills and actual experience rise to the top? Will all of us, regardless of socio-economic status, need to develop knowledge and abilities that were once considered necessary only to the less endowed? Time will tell.
“Experience is what you get after you needed it most.” -author unknown
Lately, many much younger colleagues have reached out to me for reassurance that their skills are viable and needed. After several calls to that effect, it finally dawned on me that the Gen Y & X generations are experiencing doubt, perhaps even self-doubt, for the first time in their adult lives.
Many have never faced a world without safety nets; right now, their own parents might be struggling to make ends meet, so that personal ATM might be gone or severely on the fritz. How hard it must be to reckon with such harsh realities with absolutely no bank of experience to draw from! The playing field for them now looks treacherous, and it will take time for them to figure out how to navigate through potholes and rocky terrain. That said, they’ll no doubt find the way and the experience will make them stronger.
A National Diet of Sorts
Like in Frank McCourt’s childhood, everyone now shares a reality that’s less about living large and more about living and working with fewer resources and perks. Though most of us don’t have to eat boiled cabbage and stale bread every day, we are tightening our belts, evaluating need versus want, and planning for “what if?” In some ways, it’s like dieting – scrutinizing every calorie to determine its short- or long-term benefits or repercussions.
And, like dieting, it’s hardest at the start, but soon enough comes the time when enough really is enough. The need to gorge is replaced by a smaller appetite, which is what I think is happening across our country. Our uncontrolled desire for more and more set us up to fall hard. Now that we’ve hit the pavement, we see a playing field that requires resourcefulness, forward-thinking, and adaptability. And you know what? That’s not so bad.
Maintaining Some Healthy Paranoia
Like most people I know, I was into conspicuous consumption. Why buy one pair of shoes when three pairs were well within my reach? Why stop at one car when a second or third could be justified as practical, even necessary? And my husband was just as caught up. Instead of one of each kind of screwdriver, he has three or more of each kind. When asked why so many, he’d respond, “Well, you never know when you’ll lose one.” But if there has been only one of each, chances are he would have carefully kept track.
Now, like many others, we both think twice before reaching for the plastic. We realize that things can change in a heartbeat and that our future depends on the rational use of our funds and resources. Oddly enough, it feels empowering to regain a sense of control.
Though there are signs that the economy is stabilizing (yay!), I hope we don’t forget what we’ve learned during this turmoil. I hope we’ll stay a bit paranoid – all of us – and keep our priorities in check. I think we’ll need to in order to succeed on a playing field that may have changed for good. Let the games begin.
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May 18th, 2009 by ksullivan
We’ve got our blogs and wikis. Facebook and LinkedIn. We’re texting and tweeting. Watching YouTube and Hulu. We’ve got our RSS feeds and the 24-hour news cycle. And there are even a few favorite print publications that still arrive via snail mail.
There’s more information than ever coming at each of us each day. We simply cannot process and retain it all. We remember the bits and chunks that are important to us as individuals. After that, the rest is just noise. Mindless, needless, meaningless clutter and chatter.
Which begs the question: if you have something to share how can you be sure that your point will get through to your intended audience? A lot of it has to do with the relationship in question and how well you know what your audience cares about.
In the space in which we practice at Bernard Hodes Group, we are communicating from employer to candidate or employer to employee. Employer-to-candidate messaging has taken on a new tone with changes in the hiring landscape. The candidate audience is much more receptive to available opportunities. In fact, the whole equation has been turned inside out and upside down as applicants are the ones who must now cut through the clutter to get their value proposition across.
Employer-to-employee communication is where the real challenge lies today. What are you saying to your employees? And, more important, what are they hearing? Do they believe in the corporate stance and trust leadership to be transparent? Or is it all coming across as a “bunch of BS” that has nothing to do with the people on the front lines of the workplace?
If you don’t know what your employees think, you have a fairly slim chance of communicating with any impact. Insensitive – often unspoken, yet still implied – messages can actually do more damage than no message at all.
“You’re lucky to still have a job. What more do you want?”
“Of course, we appreciate you. Just don’t have time to show it.”
“There’s no money for extra perks. Don’t we give you enough already?”
“Training is not in the budget. You’re going to have to get it on your own.”
“We’re sure you all have good ideas. But we’re too busy to care.”
Yes, this is the kind of unspoken communication that gets companies into the Worst Employer Hall of Fame. Especially when times are difficult, and everyone is looking for a sign (any sign!) that they remain a valued and respected contributor. That’s what’s important to your employees right now; what’s most relevant in their day-to-day world. It’s the one message that will cut through the incessant noise.
You can share with employees at a town hall meeting or talk to them on a webcast. Support them via formal appreciation or suggestion programs. Send a reminder e-mail (or old-school memo) about maximizing available perks and benefits. You can open up and bare all on a leadership blog. Or level the playing field with an employee-only social network.
Take your pick. Start with what’s affordable and do-able. And, remember, the delivery vehicle doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that you care enough to drive that message home.
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May 11th, 2009 by cbarber
Over the last few days I’ve noticed something different. It’s in the sound of people’s voices, their email notes, even their stride. I’m hearing less, “woe is me,” and more, “woe be gone.” I’m witnessing immense creative energy - in myself and the people around me. I’m seeing workplace celebrations happen again, honoring victories small and large. I think I’m sensing the return of optimism; I could be wrong but I think that’s what it is.
Evidence could be found in a 4/30/09 ad industry survey in which more than 80% of respondents believe the economy has bottomed out, that the light at the end of the tunnel is not another freight train headed at us. Apparently, those of us in the trenches, who are actually touching our businesses, are either in a fog of wishful thinking or we’re really noticing a distinct mood swing.
Could we actually will away a recession that is projected to last through 2012? Is it possible to drive positive changes through collective positive thinking and actions? I think we’re ready to believe that, or perhaps we’re just ready for “recession immersion” to cease.
Many of my friends, colleagues and I are done with watching the end of the world as we know it, provided 24/7 by self-serving newsroom hucksters (the word “journalists” would be a stretch) who exude a perverted gleefulness about all of it. Grinning like Cheshire cats, they seem way too pleased and pumped to unload yet another story of gloom and doom on us. Their bonuses must be tied to their effect on the misery index.
I suggest that this past fall and winter were like bear hibernation without enough fat in our emotional bellies to just nap peacefully. We took to our dens and flat-screen TVs and chose to be tortured. Like the truly clinically depressed, we couldn’t sleep, ate too much junk food, and imagined the world as fraught with uncontrollable danger. And, we fed off each other’s bad news like vultures on road kill.
But the days have become sunnier, and our need for a quality life seems to be replacing our tolerance of ‘less is more’ and ‘misery loves company’. We’re waking up to realize that we do have control and power, that what’s ahead is ours to shape, especially if we work together.
Somehow I think that no matter what the economy does, or how scary the swine flu is, or even how little we can do to keep renegade countries from aggressive behavior, we’ll find a way. Not only because the alternative is unacceptable but also because we deserve better than despair and hopelessness.
The sun is out where I live; it seems brighter and warmer than ever to me. I think I’ll go catch some rays. Won’t you join me?
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May 5th, 2009 by khart
Our annual health care recognition weeks are upon us; National Nurses Week (May 6-12), whose theme is Nurses: Building a Healthy America and National Hospital Week (May 10-16), theme: A Healthy Commitment in Changing Times.
With the swine flu pandemic looming over us, now is a great time to think about the care and commitment our health care workforce demonstrates every day.
I was with a client last week right after the news about the swine flu really took off and apart from the feeling of being ‘home’ this inactive RN always gets when in an acute care setting, I was struck by the quiet sense of purpose all those I encountered displayed. I chatted a bit with the Director of Recruitment about the swine flu epidemic and whether the hospital was in the midst of any specific preparation. She told me there was a plan already in place, and that they would also have a drill sometime during the week.
Maybe I have been away from the hospital setting for too long, but what a pleasant contrast from the screaming headlines and hysteria being promoted in the media. A group of people, prepared with a plan and strategies, keeping totally cool under pressure and not flinching from the implications a true epidemic could include.And that scene is being replicated across the country, in thousands of hospitals, including those hospitals that are caring for patients with this disease.
They say emergencies bring out the best in people, but in my mind, health care people are at their best every day. They deal with the most horrible of life’s experiences and the most beautiful on a daily basis. They work shifts that are long and hard, and keep patients going through the nights, on weekends and holidays. They help each other. They somehow manage to keep a sense of humor even when everything is going to hell around them. They face the unexpected with grace and dignity. They improvise. They challenge. They are continuous learners. They are cheerleaders as well as caregivers. They give of themselves to their patients and their families.
Care giving is an emotionally and physically challenging role. It takes very special people.
The same people who when you ask them why they became a nurse or a physical therapist, invariably respond, “To help people”. What a simple yet noble concept.
This week, I salute all in our health care workforce for being true heroes every day. As you enjoy whatever celebrations your facility has prepared for you, remember, so many of us outside your company are not only aware of your commitment and sacrifice, but also in awe of what you do.
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