Randy Clark's Blog, page 26

You Don’t Have to Be a Networking Ninny Muggins

We’ve all been to a networking event and been cornered by “that” person, a networking Ninny Muggins. You know, the one whose motto is always be selling, or they’re so self-involved they have a conversation with themselves while you listen, nod, and drift. I’m here to tell you, whatever the networking experts have told you—that’s not effective networking. Before I get too high and mighty, I must admit of the six networking don’ts I’m about to share I’ve done at least four…Okay five of them.

What’s a  Networking Ninny Muggins?Ineffective Networking Activities

Don’t be disrespectful– When you ignore, interrupt, or avoid others—it’s a sign of disrespect. Take the time to introduce yourself and listen to what others have to share.

Don’t be a sour puss, snarky, ranter person- Be happy have fun. Let Your Smile be Your Calling Card

Don’t be a total taker – It’s not all about you. As a matter of fact, the more you make it about others the more you’ll receive in return. Who Have You Helped Today?

Don’t be a phony-baloney – You’re not there to impress anybody. You’re there to make connections. Want to connect? Humble is a lot more attractive than arrogance or boastfulness.

Don’t be a card collector – If the only thing you do is introduce yourself with a 30 second elevator pitch and collect cards that end up stuffed in a drawer—you’re not networking. Networking Doesn’t End at the Event

Don’t be “that” salesperson –While it’s OK to represent your company, the best way to do that is by solving problems and that begins by listening to others needs.

Learn from My Mistakes

Like I said, been there, done that. I’m better now, not perfect, but better. At least I’m not a networking Ninny Muggins…all the time. And isn’t that what we’re supposed to do—learn from our mistakes? You know what’s even better? Learning from others mistakes. If one person who reads this improves one networking approach, then my work is done here. We don’t need any more Ninny Muggins, do we?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by HIVAN ARVIZU @soyhivan on Unsplash

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What Makes a Leader Worth Following?

Do you know what makes a leader worth following? You’ve been promoted to manager. It’s your first real management position and you don’t want to mess it up. You’ve had bosses who helped the team be more productive, others who interfered with productivity, and some who hindered performance. You don’t want to be one of the latter managers. Because you want to help. You want to be a leader. So, what defines a leader? It’s pretty simple—followers.

What Makes a Leader Worth Following?

To understand why some people are followed, you need to know why some people are not. They will not follow you just because you have a title. They may follow your instructions if you have the power to affect their career, but that’s not following a leader, is it? Following a leader means having belief and trust in the leader’s vision.

They will not follow you only for money. A small percentage may, but most people need more. Followers follow because they know what they’re doing is right; it has purpose. It means something, and they want to make a difference.

They will not follow you just because of your charisma. Don’t get me wrong—people may be attracted to your charm, but they won’t continue to follow if you lack substance. Followers want to know what you’re made of. They want leaders of character.

They will not follow you if you’re self-serving. Leaders who serve themselves and not their followers eventually have no one to lead. Followers want to know how you will help them.

They will not follow you because you said so. The quickest way to lose people is to shout, “DO WHAT I SAY not what I do.” Leaders lead by example.

They will not follow you if you’re mean-spirited, gossipy, negative, and vindictive. If you treat others poorly, people know you will eventually do the same to them. Followers want leaders who respect others.

And There’s Your Answer

What makes a leader worth following? What do people look for in a leader? People follow leaders who share a vision, make a difference, lead by example, and show respect to others. People want leaders who are made of character. Who do you follow?

How Can I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Image by  Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay

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How Do You Celebrate Thanksgiving?

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Last Saturday, while listening to The Nutcracker and retrieving Christmas decorations from the attic in preparation for installing exterior illumination, I thought about how friends and family would celebrate Thanksgiving. In this diverse land, how do others celebrate, and why are some traditions a part of nearly everyone’s holiday? So, how do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

How Do You Celebrate Thanksgiving?How Did It Begin?

The credit for Thanksgiving in America goes to the 53 surviving pilgrims who celebrated the harvest in the autumn of 1619. Harvest celebrations were a common European tradition. The Spanish celebrated Thanksgiving (a harvest celebration) in St. Augustine, Florida, on September 8th, 1565, and the French in Canada as early as 1578.

Why Do We Celebrate On The fourth Thursday of November?

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last weekend in every November to be a day of Thanksgiving. However, it wasn’t until December 26th, 1941, when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill, officially declaring the fourth Thursday of every November “Thanksgiving Day.” FDR campaigned for several years for an earlier observance; however, Congress didn’t pass it.

He was trying to bolster the economy with a more extended shopping period. I wonder what he would think of Black Friday? BTW, Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. So does that mean Christmas advertising begins before Halloween in Canada? Oh, Canada, Oh, Canada, where days are short and shopping’s long.

Do You Travel? You Are Not Alone

“Nearly 49 million people are expected to travel by car. While Thanksgiving road trips have slightly risen – up 0.4% from 2021 – car travel remains 2.5% below 2019 levels. In 2009, 42 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more on Thanksgiving weekend.” — MorningStar News. It’s estimated 4 to 5 million will drive rather than submit to a TSA cavity search. (I made that up, but it could be true). Actually, air flight is up over 2019, and automobile travel is predicted to increase as well. And speaking of being up — gas prices, currently in the $3.80 range, are expected to continue rising through the holidays.

What about the Food?

Six hundred seventy-five million pounds of turkey meat and several millions of pounds of pumpkin, cranberries, and sweet potatoes are consumed on Thanksgiving Day in America. According to several sites – all of them wanting to help me lose those unwanted pounds and endless dollars they think I have – Americans consume 5000 to 6000 calories on Thanksgiving. In many parts of the world, 6000 calories are enough to feed a small village.

Are You Ready for some Football?

The first Thanksgiving professional football game was held on the last Thursday in November 1934 in Detroit. It was broadcast on a radio network assembled by NBC. Although Detroit went into the game with a 10-1 record, Chicago won 19-16, thus beginning Detroit’s long tradition of losing on Thanksgiving Day. You should ask my family about when I turned off the TV so we could converse. I don’t think we ever had Thanksgiving at my home again.

You Have To Watch The Parade or some of it

The Macy’s Holiday Parade was founded in 1924. This year the New York City parade features 16 giant balloons, 28 floats, 12 marching bands, musical stars, and the real Santa Claus. Specialty groups – like the NYPD motorcyclists, performance groups, school bands, clown teams, and celebrity talents fill the route. It takes three hours to complete, so you have plenty of time to watch a bit.

Other Traditions

Do you take a nap? Studies show it’s probably not tryptophan; however, it is the turkey, pie, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy, rolls, and sweet potatoes all consumed at once. How about that forced family fun time? Do you try to put the “functional” in the dysfunctional family? Watch the movie Home for the Holidays to see how that works.

Oh, And Don’t Forget To Give Thanks

Yes, sometimes we forget the meaning of Thanksgiving. It’s simple but often overlooked in all the traditions steeped in turkey gravy. It’s to give thanks, show gratitude, and appreciate what we have. Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo by Libby Penner on Unsplash

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A Student Review of The New Manager’s Workbook

A college professor sent me this book report covering The New Manger’s Workbook from one of the profs students. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard from secondary educators who use my book as a text or offer it as collateral material.

The New Manager’s WorkbookA Crash Course in Effective ManagementRandy Clark – Author

Randy Clark has spent many years working for, observing, and learning from the different managers he has worked for. He also had considerable time being a manager where he could develop, incorporate, and study the results of the managerial techniques he was using. Randy has worked at large and small businesses, local and multi-national firms. In the area of management, he has authored three books, writes a blog, and runs his own consulting firm providing leadership skills training programs and seminars to businesses and organizations.

Randy’s knowledge, experience, and implementation of these managerial techniques are perfect qualifications to writing this book aimed at helping new managers get started on the right footing. The New Manager’s Workbook would be an excellent guide to continuously refer to as new situations arise in a manager’s job and responsibilities.

The book covers thirteen different key areas of management. Recruiting and Hiring, Training, Conducting Meetings, Motivation & Team Building, Employee Reviews, Silo Busting, Communication, Goal Setting, Behavior Modification, Conflict Management, Problem Solving, Time Management, and What is Leadership?

All these areas would be applicable to an agribusiness in today’s business climate. Each of the following topics would be extremely important not only to an agribusiness but virtually any business to keep its employees, managers, and the entire business successful and profitable in the future.

Communication skills are very important in conveying company policies, goals, training, and expectations to employees. Good listening skills and asking for employees to repeat back what they heard in their own words helps to confirm that the message has been understood or where clarification is needed. Breakdowns in communication between managers and employees, or different departments within an organization can cause problems for everyone.

Randy offers tips on problem solving by giving suggestions for how to define a problem, researching the causes and possible solutions, developing, and implementing strategies to eliminate it, how to measure if progress is being made, and what the results should look like. Problems need to be identified as early as possible and not brushed aside. Early intervention can keep the problem from spreading throughout the business and cause failure of the employees and company of meeting their goals.

A manager needs to be skillful at setting goals, communicating those goals, and then giving the employees the training, guidance, and materials, they need to accomplish those goals. Goals can be as broad as an overall company achievement or as simple as having a trainee be ready to accept a position of more responsibilities and duties. It is the manager’s duty to see that everything is in place for attainable goals to be reached successfully.

A manager needs to be actively involved in the recruiting and hiring process not relying on the Human Resources department to just send them people. The manager is best qualified to know what kind of person they need, what skills are desirable, and if a candidate can bring additional skills not directly related to the job opening that could be useful to the current team members. Randy gives great advice on where to find the best candidates and how to find out as much as possible about the person before an interview. He demonstrates various ways to get a recruit to open up and give you insight on more than just their qualifications, and how to evaluate the prospects that have been interviewed.

Another interesting topic covered by the book is time management. A manager’s time is important and limited. It is critical to learn how to plan, manage time, decide when smaller tasks should be delegated to someone else, how to cut down on unnecessary interruptions, and how to provide the needed guidance to employees with out micro-managing every single detail. A manager also needs to evaluate if employees are using their time wisely and provide guidance on better time management.

I would like to work in a greenhouse or landscape supply business. If I were to try to go in as a manager or work my way up to management this book would be invaluable to me. I can visualize every section covered in this book as being important to running or managing each of these businesses. How to communicate with employees, hiring, training, goal setting, time manage, handling problems and conflicts, and leadership are all necessary skills an agribusiness manager would need to be proficient at to be successful.

This book is a quick read, concise and easy to understand the concepts and principles behind it. It is full of useful tips, suggestions, examples, and simple forms that you could modify or use as a template for your own experiences. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is currently a manager or looking to be a manager in any business situation. The information is easily applicable or transferrable to any business for a manager.

If you are already doing all these things well it is always nice to see confirmation that you are successfully on the right track. If you are lacking any of the skills detailed in this book, then this is the perfect place to start looking for ways to improve your management skills. The suggestions and methods Randy illustrates are explained and broken into manageable steps that should be easy to adopt as your own.

I would also recommend this book to anyone currently going through the job application and interview process, especially if this is your first major job or it has been a long time since your last interview process.

It has been twenty-six years since my last job interview and the process has changed by 100%. I have taken away a great deal of information on how the process now works. I have a much better understanding of what employers are looking for in job skills and training, and how they weed out applicants they are not interested in. Where they are searching as far as your social media presence and internet job listing sites is a relatively new concept.

A company can now do an in-depth background search about you before you ever speak to anyone. The book gave me insight on what types of questions I might be asked and how much they expect me to research and know about their business culture and philosophy ahead of the interview. I gained a great deal of knowledge about what to put on my resume, application, and how to be prepared for an interview.

How Can I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

The post A Student Review of The New Manager’s Workbook appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Does Your Business Move at the Speed of Change?

So, does your business move at the speed of change? I remember attending a management presentation promoted as being geared toward small businesses. It lasted more than 45 minutes. It was all over the place. The presenter shared several acronyms verbatim from a PowerPoint presentation. Don’t get me wrong, most of the content had merit. It’s just that, as presented, it would be difficult to use in a small business. Much of it was overly complicated and would take too much time to implement. It didn’t move at the speed of change.

Does Your Business Move at the Speed of Change?

Does your organization run on all cylinders, or is it sputtering due to clogged fuel lines and spark plugs that don’t spark? It may be time to take a hard look at your company and ask the following:

How can my business move faster?What procedures are outdated?How do systems interfere with getting the job done?What acronyms do we follow that could be abbreviated?Are some policies non-essential?Do You Know What Slows your Business Down?

The day after the presentation, I met with a small business to introduce team building and leadership development. I began with one department. After introducing myself and explaining my purpose, I met with each team member one-on-one.

I asked each how we could improve their job, what tools and training would make them more efficient, and how to improve the company. Each offered insights on how to make their department more efficient—how to move faster.

Your Team has the Answers

Do you know what slows your team down and what systems, tasks, and processes hinder their work? Have you asked them?

Is it Time to Streamline?

In today’s business climate, change happens fast. Cumbersome plans that may have been effective twenty years ago may need to be revised to fit the speed of change in the 2020s. Systems that worked in the 19th and 20th centuries may be less effective in the 21st century. Think about it, how many of the principles of business followed today originated before the internet? That doesn’t mean every pre-connected-world business principle is invalid, not at all. What it should be is a caution to small businesses to analyze their processes. Does your business move at the speed of change?

How Can I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you liked this, you might also appreciate Do You Know What’s Important To Your Employees? A short easy to use employee survey.

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

 

 

 

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How Important is Proper Grammar for a Blog?

How important is proper grammar for a blog? My friend, Eric Deckers, a great writer I respect, who (or is it “whom?”) has written for newspapers for more than 20 years, said he never learned when to use “who” or “whom,” and didn’t care. Another writer/editor friend, whose work I thoroughly enjoy, was uncertain about when to use “that” vs. “which.” What is a restrictive clause anyway? My point is that even highly trained and experienced writers don’t know it all. Although one should know the rules before breaking them, we shouldn’t let proper grammar and tradition get in the way of writing, especially when blogging.

How Important is Proper Grammar for a Blog?Writing the Right Way 

Don’t get me wrong, good grammar counts and should be followed and used, but not unconditionally. For example, on this blog, I loosely follow AP style as long as it is consistent with the post’s feel and voice. For instance, while it’s considered correct to spell out numbers one through nine, I sometimes break this rule for emphasis in post titles, subheads, as part of a keyword phrase,

I nearly always use the oxford comma. I occasionally split an infinitive, begin a sentence with a conjunction, end a sentence with a preposition, and use a passive voice when it fits. Although I refer to Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, it doesn’t mean I always adhere to those guidelines. Like any art or philosophy, there are extremes on both sides. There are those who follow no rules, those who follow every rule, and everything in between. (Do I really need the “in” with between? And do I really need really?) Whatever the case, our writing should be consistent, mindful, and properly communicated to our audiences.

But Wait, There’s More

Here’s another example of writing tradition getting in the way of writing. There’s a tradition of using double spaces between sentences. Teachers taught this for many years. It originated when people using typewriters attempted to mimic traditional typesetting. There is no other reason for this, yet people continue to use double spaces on their laptops. For many readers, the double spaces are distracting and annoying.

What’s Right for You? 

Whether Hemingway said, “Write drunk, edit sober” or not, it’s good advice. It’s essential to allow creative freedom when writing and just as crucial to reign it in when editing. What may get in the way is overzealously following or breaking the rules. Know the rules, then write what’s right for you.

How Can I Help You? 

Let me know if I can offer any help or advice. If this post struck a nerve, you might want to check out my book, How to Stay Ahead of Your Business Blog Forever. The book is full of action plans for you to create a blogging/writing system that works for you.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like, How to Defeat Writer’s Block.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

 

 

The post How Important is Proper Grammar for a Blog? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Do You Know What’s Important To Your Employees? A short easy to use employee survey

Do you know what’s important to your employees? Last week, I asked a management team how they could make their workplace better for their employees. A short discussion ended with the conclusion that the best answer to this question was to ask the employees. They’re currently conducting an employee survey. The team has reviewed about 15% of the surveys and already see a few trends, ideas, and surprises. So, do you know what your employees are thinking? Do you know what’s important to your team?

Do You Know What’s Important To Your Employees?

The survey aims to identify what employees think would make the organization a better place to work and use the information accordingly. The management team decided to conduct the survey anonymously.

Set The StageExplain the survey is to help improve the organizationMake it clear that honest answers are appreciatedReassure it’s anonymousClarify that they don’t have to answer every questionCaution employees not to over-think answers; their first thought may be the bestTell employees it should take about 10 minutes to completeWhat Are The Questions?If you could change or improve one thing to make your job more efficient, enjoyable, or easier, what would you change?What do you believe is the best thing about working here?If your supervisor asked you how they could be a better supervisor, what suggestions would you offer?What is the worst part about working here?What is most important to you at work?What would you like to add?What’s Next?

Gather the surveys and add them; collate them, look for trends, ideas, and ways to improve your organization, and then do something about it.

You are most welcome to copy this survey or create one more suited to your business culture. If you conduct an employee survey, please get in touch with me and share what you learned. Thank you.

How I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you liked this, you might also appreciate How Significant Is Employee Engagement to Workplace Satisfaction? 

Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay

 

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Managing Younger People in the Workplace

If you’re not currently working with or directly managing younger people in the workplace, you soon will be. Interacting with people outside your generation comes with a whole host of challenges. But there’s one serious problem, in particular, to keep in mind when working with younger team members that you absolutely must hold at the forefront of your mind.

What is the problem? It’s the same problem every generation has with other generations: preconceptions.

Managing Younger People in the Workplace

Indeed, individuals born between 1980 and 2000 have had different life experiences than those born between 1960 and 1980 or 1940 and 1960. Certainly, younger professionals have grown up with a more diverse workplace culture.

Older generations did not have as much access to technology or advancement opportunities, especially across racial and gender lines. And while all these are factors, they are less significant than the most crucial factor between generations. Prejudice.

Ageism in Organizations

When we pre-judge people before we know them, we form prejudices. We’re often mistaken when we make assumptions about what someone will do or not do because of their age. We do this because it’s easier to assume we’re correct rather than learn how wrong we are.

That’s not to say there aren’t facts that are more likely to be true about younger workers. However, you should use this information to improve your relationships, not stereotype. For example:

Younger generations have grown up with technology

This means they are often more comfortable using computers in various contexts. That doesn’t mean that they want to be computing all the time. However, they may be able to do things older workers may not know how to do. Ask them to teach you something rather than do it for you.

Younger generations have grown up with more diversity

Which often means they expect more people to speak up with more perspectives. That doesn’t mean they cannot respect authority, just that they are accustomed to hearing a variety of ideas. Accept that many, not all, strive to be accepting.

Younger generations have had, on average, more comforts and opportunities

Simply by virtue of an ever-improving world. That doesn’t mean they cannot deal with scarcity, just that they might have had chances you didn’t have at their age. Instead of assuming they are not as tough, give them the opportunity to contribute. 

(Don’t get me wrong. Too many people are born into poverty, prejudice, and a lack of educational opportunities).

These suggestions don’t just apply to younger workers. No matter who you are working with, celebrate your differences. Avoid making judgments. Focus on inclusion. Seek to understand so everyone can be productive, effective, and satisfied in the workplace.

How I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

If you liked this, you might also appreciate Has Ageism Become Acceptable in the Workplace?

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

 

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Who’s Training the Trainer?

So, who’s training the trainer? Good question. Have you ever managed managers? I have. And for a time I wasn’t very competent. I expected my managers to know it all and do it on their own. Because, I mean—they were managers, weren’t they? I remember discovering several of my managers weren’t properly training their direct reports. They were turning new people over to teammates who were still wet behind the ears themselves and expecting them to conduct comprehensive training. I was appalled and I was flabbergasted. I was ready to fire them all. Where did they ever get such a crazy notion? Then it hit me. They didn’t get it from me because I wasn’t training the trainer. My training strategy was even less effective than their turn ‘em over to new people strategy. I had totally ignored them.

Training the TrainerWhat Your Trainer Needs

Those responsible for new hire and follow up training should have clear expectations of what, how, and when to train as well as the expected results.

Format – Providing checklists, manuals, or procedures is key to an effective training system. It can be shared and distributed in writing, online, video or all three.Schedule – A training schedule should be outlined and followed. The schedule may be based on specific times or retention based.Goals – Sharing expectations and milestones with the trainer and trainees is important. People need to know how they are faring and if they’re on track.Follow up and accountability – It’s the leader of manager’s responsibility to follow up on tasks and hold managers, in this case trainers, accountable to following procedures; not to wait until it’s broken and throw our hands in the air, which is exactly what I did.

If you’re responsible for managers—it’s your responsibility to manage them. People at all levels, in an organization, need direction. They should expect advice, and the training they deserve. If you’re not training the trainer…who is? Nobody is and that’s a formula for failure.

How I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash

The post Who’s Training the Trainer?  appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Will You Be ready for the Workforce of 2024? (written in 2014)

This post about the workforce of 2024 was written in 2014. I pulled it up with the idea of updating and rewriting it and then thought, what the heck, it’s kind of fun looking back. So, where do you think I nailed it and where do you think I missed the mark?  

Over the next ten years, the world will change in unforeseen ways. Ten years ago, in 2004, most business leaders had little idea the extent which, social media, mobile applications, and web development would affect their industries. It may be impossible to foresee the many innovations that will impact business over the next ten years, but it is possible to recognize trends. Extrapolating current trends into the future may inform companies as to areas to improve competencies, update policies, and invest in employees.

Will You Be Ready for the Workforce of 2024?What Will Employees Look Like in Ten Years?

The non-Hispanic white population will reach its peak in the United States at nearly 200 million in 2024. So, after peaking it will recede, eventually becoming a minority somewhere after 2050. (US Census Workforce Forecast) However, even ten years from now the workplace will be more diversified. So, helping employees feel part of the team by accepting cultural differences, offering company publications in multiple languages, and avoiding pigeonholing workers by race, age, or sex will become critical.

In ten years, as millennials move into middle management and higher, the younger generation will be conducting the majority of recruiting. Their life-work balance (not work-life) will show in their hiring tendencies.

What Will Employees Want in Ten Years?Flexibility – Workers will expect flexibility. People will not only be attracted to organizations that offer flexibility they’ll consider it an entitlement. Detached workers will seek flextime, flexplace, and network telecommunicating. ROWE (Results Only Work Environment), job-sharing, and maxi-flex scheduling may not be the norm by 2024 but the workplaces offering a high level of flexibility will have a distinct advantage in the recruiting and retention arena.Gradual Retirement – In ten years nearly 25% of the workforce will be 55 years of age or older. Many Boomers aren’t interested in the retirement of their parents; one that ended with a retirement dinner, gold watch, and complete separation from the workplace after 40 years. Some Boomers want to continue to be productive, but they also want free time. Phased retirement with part-time, on-call, or consultant positions will fulfill the desires of pre-retirees and add value to the workplace.More perks – Benefits are no longer limited to medical insurance and a 401K and in ten years workers will expect more. Programs such as comprehensive family leave may be up to our government, but many initiatives will be left to businesses. Wellness programs with in-house medical staff, exercise equipment and trainers, as well as dietary consultants will not be unusual. Small businesses will pool together to offer expanded benefits.Continued Training – Employees will embrace lifelong learning. More universities will offer tuition-free online studies. Workers will seek organizations that embrace learning, and offer in-house and outsourced training as well as rewards for successful study completion.Giving back – People will add community responsibility to their job search requirements. Companies who support charitable actions and not only give employees time to give back but pay them, will have an upper hand in recruiting.What Can You Do?  Begin preparing for the future today by taking a long hard look at the companies culture.Is the company prepared to offer flexible scheduling?Does the organization embrace other cultures and minorities in your workplace?Is there an exit strategy for retiring teammates that will fit their needs and benefit the organization?Does the company offer more than basic medical insurance and a 401 K? If not, what’s next?What are the businesses plans for continuous employee training?Are You Ready for 2024?

Remember how fast the last ten years flew by? Do you think the next ten will be any slower? It’s time to begin preparation for the workforce of 2024. The good news is you have time to get ready. The bad news is it will be here soon. What have you done to fit the needs of the ever-changing workforce?

How I Help You?  

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

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The post Will You Be ready for the Workforce of 2024? (written in 2014) appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.