Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

The marketplace is becoming global - Are you ready for it?

Are you ready to play in the global marketplace?

Do you understand what this implies?

If you have been paying attention over the past few years, you understand that there are massive changed happening in world output and the world trade picture.

• The U.S. no longer dominates the world economy
• Large U.S. multinationals no longer dominate international business
• The centrally planned communist economies that made up roughly half the world suddenly become accessible to Western businesses
• The global economy has become more knowledge-intensive

I'd like to address the last point - becoming more knowledge-intensive.

It is no longer enough to have the latest or best knowledge.  Further, the idea that "knowledge is power" has become somewhat of a attitude that is off-putting to others.

Let me provide context for this statement.

I recently completed arranging a foreign trade deal for a US firm that knew that they needed to be sourcing from China, but didn't have a clue as to how to begin.  This is not an uncommon situation, as increasingly, international business is a critical necessity of business.

It's not simple, nor straightforward, but is doable for those that want to spend the time to become smarter about the situation, and required processes regarding foreign trade.

One area that I have noticed that is often unfamiliar to those westerners seeking to establish trade/business relations with people/organizations in other cultures is the western tendency to "pigeonhole" people by our existing cultural beliefs.

Not only does this get you into trouble (quickly), such incorrect generalizations can damage potential for future relationship development.

Here's come suggestions to help you when dealing with people of different cultures:

• Do not try to identify the counterpart’s home culture too quickly. Things that you believe represent "cues" to the other's cultural orientation (e.g., name, physical appearance, language, accent, location) may be (and increasingly are) unreliable.
• Be particularly aware of the Western bias toward “doing.” Ways of being (e.g., comportment, smell), feeling, thinking, and talking can shape relationships with people of other cultures more powerfully than doing.
• Resist the western tendency to formulate simple, consistent, stable images.  These may not translate the same in other cultures.
• Do not make the assumption that all aspects of the culture you are dealing with are equally significant.
• Strive to recognize that the norms for interactions involving outsiders (e.g. YOU) may differ from those for interactions between compatriots.
• Never overestimate your familiarity with your counterpart’s culture. More often than not, you will be wrong.

Please trust me on these points.  I have learned the hard way that global trade is based on relationships, and is not entirely price driven.  In the fastest growing economies of the world, the relationship takes precedence in negotiations.  And relationship development doesn't happen quickly (by design)

There are many places where westerners (across many industries) have screwed up by trying to apply western values and practices to other cultures. Here are a few examples:

• An American oil rig supervisor in Indonesia shouted at an employee to take a boat to shore. Since it is no-one berates an Indonesian in public, a mob of outraged workers chased the supervisor with axes.
• Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive.
• A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The ad was a poor choice since animals are considered to be a form of low life and no self respecting Thai would wear anything worn by animals.
• The soft drink Fresca was being promoted by a saleswoman in Mexico. She was surprised that her sales pitch was greeted with laughter, and later embarrassed when she learned that Fresca is Mexican slang for "lesbian."
• When President George H W Bush went to Japan with Lee Iacocca and other American business magnates, and directly made explicit and direct demands on Japanese leaders, the American representatives violated basic Japanese etiquette. To the Japanese (who use high context language) it is considered rude and a sign of ignorance or desperation to lower oneself to make direct demands. Some analysts believe it severely damaged the negotiations and confirmed to the Japanese that Americans are barbarians.
• U.S. and British negotiators who you might think are the most able to communicate well, found themselves at a standstill when the American company proposed that they "table" particular key points. In the U.S. "Tabling a motion" means to not discuss it, while the same phrase in Great Britain means to "bring it to the table for discussion."
• When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive With Pepsi" they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead."
• In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into "Schweppes Toilet Water."

So it's important that your actions and words are carefully considered, when dealing with anyone of another culture.  Remember, this is not just about dealing with people in foreign lands; increasingly, individuals from other cultures are all about us, and the sooner we learn how to deal with our "cultural colleagues", the better we will be at expanding into the global business community.

Think about it.

Why People Don't COmmunicate Well

You'd be amazed at the number of people that I encounter that admit to employing the wrong medium for communicating business information.

Choosing an appropriate communications medium is a basic "building block" of how we convey information. 

There is a "more correct" communications medium that time and research has proven enhances the likelihood that what you are conveying will be received and acted upon in a timely manner.

The diagram below attempts to illustrate this point:

Think about the following situations and consider the form of communication that would be most appropriate:

• networking with peer
• communicating with your mentor
• communicating with your boss
• delivering a proposal
• asking for clarification on a time-sensitive manner
• run a meeting
• schedule a meeting
• contribute to a discussion
• a job interview (as a candidate)

You'll note in the illustration above that the mediums that have a low level of richness tend to be impersonal, one-way and fast, whereas those with a high level of richness are personal, two-way, interactive and slower.

Hope this gets you thinking about the medium you are employing to ensure you get your point across.

Want to Understand Peoples Motivations ? Then Understand their Desires !

Incentive Intelligence is one of our favorite blogs.  One reason why is a recent article they published called "Maximize Overlapping Desires..." that does an excellent job of describing how fundamental the changes are in the way todays generations look at employment versus the generations that preceded it.

Wonder why the workforce doesn't "love" the things that the previous generations used to respond to?  Read the article - it's very well done, as are all of the articles at this interesting blog!

The New Leadership Model - Servant Leadership

Have you been introduced to Servant-Leadership?

Servant-Leadership is a practical philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions.  Servant-leaders may or may not hold formal leadership positions.  Servant-leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment.

The servant-leader is servant first - It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.  Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.  He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions.  For such it will be a later choice to serve after leadership is established.  The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.  Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

The difference manifest itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served.  The best test, and difficult to administer, is:

• do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?

Robert Greenleaf, the man who coined the phrase, has been a beacon of light in the increased awareness of this approach.  His "think tank"  the  The Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership has published a set of other resources that may be useful to you.

• Greenleaf Centre Australia/New Zealand
• Servant-Leadership Center of the Southwest at McMurry University, Abilene, Texas
• Hampton House: the house that servant-leaders built, by Brooke Shinnamon
• National Association for Community Leadership
• World Business Academy
• National Society for Experiential Education
• Leadership House, University of South Florida-Tampa
• Crowder College, Neosho, Missouri
• Student Leader Magazine
• TDIndustries
• International Conference on Business and Consciousness
• Institute for Servant Leadership

Check out the Greenleaf Institute as well as these other resources.  If we don't adapt our approaches to developing talent, we'll pay the consequences of not doing so.

The Hottest Jobs (for College graduates)

According to Parade magazine, there are plenty of good paying jobs in HIGH DEMAND in today's market for graduates:

Forensic accountant
Combines accounting, auditing and investigative skills: $30,000-$150,000

Logistics manager
Plan, implement and control flow of goods or services: $35,000-$118,000

Corporate librarian
More companies need specialists to manage information: $37,000-$93,000

Emerging media specialist
Managers in Web content and online marketing need communication skills and tech savvy: $26,500-$100,000

Physical therapist
Aging baby boomers will drive the increasing need: $34,600-$74,000

Information security
Workers plan, implement and support network security: $47,000-$122,000

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., with data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and industry sources

Skilled worker shortage hurts U.S.

According to a recent story published by CNN, Skilled worker shortage hurts U.S. the cross-industry problem being experienced by all industries is bad and getting worse.

Most experts agreed the shortage of skilled workers is likely to persist longer than it did in the late 1990s. That earlier tightness was fed by dot.com companies burning through investors' cash to hire people. The latest round of hiring is being driven by stronger corporate balance sheets, and as more retiring Baby Boomers start leaving the work force.

Today's challenge is different and the mandate for companies is different.

The problem I see with this article is that it's long on explanations, but offers few substantial ideas for firms looking for solutions.  What's your opinion?

Working with the Contingent Workforce

Esme Friesen of the Galt Global Review published a set of great best practices to assist the supervisor or manager thinking of hiring a contingent worker.

According to Friesen, the squeeze on workforce budgets continues the same as it has for well over a decade. Whereas everybody wants to expand their scope while increasing their bottom line, adapting to variable market trends is still the order of the day. In some organizations this means the hiring of new staff and for others this means a decrease in their labor pool. Both ways, managers have had to find flexible staffing solutions and as a result, the demand for a skilled, reliable contingent workforce has risen significantly.

Fishing for resources in a new "fishing hole" carries with it a special set of challenges.

Friesen offers the following points to help you be more effective in sourcing from the Contingent Workforce marketplace:

1. Have the staffing service coach or counsel a contingent worker on job performance.

It is one thing to point out a procedural protocol to a new contingent worker, but it is another to give them an evaluation. Marcie Ellison, Vice President of The Personnel Department's temporary division advises "the staffing service should be calling you. If there is a need for a performance or corrective review, it is the responsibility of the service to address it." Otherwise, contact the service to request a review and tell them why it is necessary.

2. Let the staffing service negotiate the rate of pay.

This issue is best addressed with the staffing service. The staffing service's account manager uses input from you to establish rates of pay and will handle all communications regarding pay raises for the contingent worker. Contingent workers are regular staff of the service and as such, have their own agreements with respect to wages. When you begin negotiating with the contingent worker, you become a de facto employer and can run into difficulties in defining the "employer" if there is ever a dispute.

3. Express your needs for skills and let the staffing service do the training.

Staffing agencies often have training and upgrading programs available to their field staff. If specific training is required for a job, the staffing service will work with you to identify and implement the best training program for the contingent worker.

4. Refer any requests for personal time-off or vacation to the staffing service.

Contingent workers will request time off through their staffing service manager who will then contact you regarding coverage prior to approval being given. If temporary employees approach you, simply refer them back to their staffing service manager. Your primary relationship is with the service, and so is the employee's.

5. Discuss job opportunities with the staffing service.

In this era of talent shortages, it is best to discuss job opportunities with the staffing service. Often the best contingent worker is not the best permanent employee. For many individuals in the contingent workforce, it is a lifestyle choice. They prefer the flexibility and variety that going from job-site to job-site affords them and staffing services know this. The service may have other individuals available who are interested in finding permanent employment, and who are more suitable to the position. To get the best from the "temp to perm" potential, contact the service who can then work with you to determine who the most suitable candidates are. It is always good to check first with the service.

If a temporary or contract worker approaches you for a position, it is a compliment to your managers and your organization. Still, you are best advised to direct them to publicly available job postings to which they can apply. If there were a position that you wanted to hire the contingent worker for, contact the service, which will then approach the employee directly.

6. Be discrete regarding harassment or discrimination issues.

If a situation where a contingent worker is behaving inappropriately arises, contact the service directly as soon as you become aware of a situation.

7. Let the staffing service terminate a contingent worker.

While it may be your responsibility to do the hiring and firing for your firm, the contingent worker is the responsibility of the staffing service. Always contact the service to terminate a contingent worker.

8. Do include contingent workers in your company's employee functions where appropriate.

Contingent workers are an important part of the modern workforce, therefore it is important to make them feel as though they are part of your team. Inclusion at staff parties and other employee functions is a good idea.

There are times, however, when the company may be hosting "staff only" events such as company retreats and seminars etc. In these instances, it is best to contact the service to explain the contingent worker's exclusion. For recognition events, the service should be invited to present any awards or bonuses the company is offering to its contingent workers.  In addition, a few staffing services offer their field staff benefits packages, training and skill development, advancement schemes, and recognition programs. Choose one that does.

9. Be in touch with the service.

The basic rule of thumb is to always be in touch with the service. They are set up specifically to manage contingent and leased workforces. They have a firm understanding of the legal and logistical issues associated with the hiring of temporary staff.

Is use of "Best Practices" a common practice in your firm?

The term "best practices" is commonly bandied about in business.  "We use this 'best practice' or that one" some claim.  Matt Stevens in his blog "The New Business Model of Construction" gives us some good insight on how to leverage Best Practices in a practical way.

A "Best Practice" is a management idea which asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.

Thus, one of the growth strategies for any successful business should be the identification and adoption of Best Practices.  There are numerous sources for these practices.  One of the challenges is finding practices that are relevant to your particular type of business. 

For example, take construction:  According to Matt Stevens of the Stevens Construction Institute, there are over 100 market sectors in the construction industry. F.W. Dodge reports in its construction permit data 30-odd categories and that is just the type of projects. Multiply that by the all the different types of contractors. The old CSI classification methodology outlines 16 divisions of work. Each division typically has several construction firm types occupying each of those.

Stevens has published over 140 best practices in the construction industry in a book entitled "Managing a Construction Firm on Just 24 Hours a Day" that helps contractors seeking to imporove their businesses with better techniques, construction methods, business processes, activity management, workplace incentives etc.

Check out the book and Matt's blog.  Both are filled with good information for Contractors.

The Fastest Growing Top 10 Middle Class Jobs

As a person about to enter the workforce or someone who is simply trying to hang onto your job, the middle class has become a worrisome place for many. If you aren’t laid off you might soon become outdated.

If you are going to work you might as well work for the most money you can. You might not be aware of the highest paying middle class jobs and

read more | digg story

How do competencies factor into Business Performance/

The folks over at General Electric are known to be pretty smart folks.  So when they look at competencies in the workforce, its a good bet that they know what they are talking about.

GE has a competency model that starts with the strategic intent of the business, or put another way, what is it that we're trying to accomplish?  From this "foundation" definition, they then develop the organizational capabilities that GE requires.

The GE competency model looks at has four (4) "pillars":

1. Competence Pillar - What are the Competencies we require  to accomplish our Strategy?
2. Consequence Pillar - What are the standards and  consequences requires to accomplish our strategy?
3. Governance Pillar - What is the Organization we need to accomplish our  strategy?
4. Work- Process/Capacity for Change Pillar - How able are we to manage the work processes and change in order to accomplish our Strategy?

They have wisely implemented an organizational model that not only addresses the competencies (very important), but go well beyond to tie how these resources will be utilized effectively to accomplish business results.

Thus, it's important for you to understand that competencies represent a basic "foundation" upon which business performance is predicated. 

So in today's increasingly skill challenged work environment, having an ample supply people with a skillset will be inadequate.  Unless you are able to not only secure the competencies that the business requires, (that often requires looking at new hires and existing staff differently), but also address how these competencies will be productively applied in the business, you probably won't get the "pull through" effect you may have been hoping for.

Before you give orders, you need experience taking orders

Many years ago, when I was aspiring my first supervisory role, my mentor asked me what experience I had in "taking orders", by which he meant, did I have any experience being directed what to do, and being held accountable for the result?

As it happens I had multiple such experiences - by directive parents, teachers, and early employment situations, and time served in the armed forces - all of which gave me perspective about examples of leadership - some were great leaders - some were awful.

This is a critical skillset to master, even if you're only a crew chief of a two person crew.

From these experiences however, I learned a couple of important things:

• giving orders is not as easy as it seems - properly done, there is a good deal of work that precedes the order.  It is not just "passing the buck" for someone to do something that the supervisor doesn't want to (or won't) do themselves.
• taking orders and getting them done requires good listening, and attention to detail, and especially important - finishing the assigned task
• It is not just about "assignment of work" and intimidation ("because I'm telling you to"), as much as it is facilitating the completion of the work to be done.  The "baby boomer" generation would take orders without question - increasingly, people want to know "why" and "why is this important" - you need to be prepared as a leader to answer these questions directly.

When I encounter someone who has not experienced first hand "taking orders", who wants to accede to supervision or management, it makes me wonder what kind of orders they will give, and what kinds of results they will see.

Seems like the "veterans" who have been the most successful, can relate to their own personal experiences and draw upon not just theory of management, but actual emotions that help them give orders that important, are appropriate to the person and address the situation at hand.

How do you acquire the ability to direct others if you've never had to do it yourself?

Plain Language - an unappreciated skillset

Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a communication bypass. Such language is often associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions and its deliberate use by these is what distinguishes it from other euphemisms. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination", "take out" for "destroy").

Workplace literacy is not only about improving the skills and abilities of your employees. It is also about effectively and clearly communicating with them. Plain language is defined as straightforward expression, using only as many words as are necessary. It is language that avoids obscurity, inflated vocabulary and convoluted sentence construction. Using plain language principles in information bulletins, health and safety manuals, forms and other modes of communications saves time, money and lives

• readers understand documents better
• readers locate information faster
• documents are easier to update
• it is easier to train people
• documents are more cost-effective

Plain language (also called Plain English) is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Written material is in plain language if your audience can:

• Find what they need;
• Understand what they find;      and
• Use what they find to meet      their needs.

There are many writing techniques that can help you achieve this goal. Among the most common are:

• Logical organization with the      reader in mind
• "You" and other      pronouns
• Active voice
• Short sentences
• Common, everyday words
• Easy-to-read design features

No one technique defines plain language. Rather, plain language is defined by results—it is easy to read, understand, and use.  Does your organization engage reward doublespeak or plain language?  Moreover, what form of communication style do you screen for?

 

Emotional Intelligence (EI) - An essential skill?

Are you aware of the importance of Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI) includes abilities such as recognizing, appraising, describing, understanding, and analyzing emotions in self and others, as well as regulating, managing, and adapting one’s emotions in changing situations. EI has been associated with many aspects of daily living, including one’s perceived emotional well-being, self-esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction, general psychological and physical health, and quality of interpersonal interactions. Not surprisingly, EI has also been found to be an important predictor of success in almost any job.

Why is Emotional Intelligence a better approach to identifying leaders?
Well first, the concept of "Intelligence" is typically focused on analytic reasoning, verbal skills, spatial ability, attention, memory and judgment (all of which can have many different definitions). 

Besides, we are all different, and come from many different backgrounds and experiences.  This diversity complicates relationships in the workplace, and the consequences of inability to read others’ emotion at an early stage of development may lead to the development of poor social skills, which can manifest themselves in poor worker-boss or peer-peer relationships on the job.

For example, males tend to be more willing to compromise social connectedness for independence, they are not as good as women at "reading" the feelings of others, and may be more physiologically overwhelmed by marital conflict.  Women tend to have a greater need for "connectedness", have a wider range of emotions and are better at reading emotions than males, and tend to be better at developing social strategies overall and perhaps will tend to be more engaged in marital conflict.

Do these aspects carry over into the workplace - You Bet !

Thus, as individuals grow in responsibility EI becomes more important a factor.  Failure to develop a healthy understanding of emotional behavior can overwhelm solid "technical skills" performance - even to the point of rendering a technically competent person ineffective.

Examples of this are evident on todays workplace.  You may have worked with bosses who exhibit

• "all or nothing" thinking
• overgeneralization
• excessive worrying
• worrying as magical thinking
• disqualifying the position
• jumping to negative conclusions
• “should” statements
• labeling & mislabeling
• personalization
• stonewalling
• criticism; contempt

Since 50% of work satisfaction is determined by the relationship a worker has with his/her boss, it follows that EI should be a prerequisite for effective leadership across borders.

Developing competency as a supervisor/manager requires a higher level of self-mastery and people skills; developing the ability to put yourself into the positions of others is an essential skill today.

Employability Skills - What Are They?

Fundamental Skills - skills needed as a base for further development

• communicate
• manage information
• use numbers
• think and solve problems

Personal Management Skills - personal skills, attitudes and behaviors that drive one’s potential for growth
demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors

• be responsible
• be adaptable
• learn continuously
• work safely

Teamwork Skills

• skills and attributes needed to contribute productively
• work with others
• participate in projects and tasks

How do these Employability Skills relate
to the Essential Skills we have previously discussed?

The following diagram illustrates the relationship
between these two sets of skills......

21st Century Skills : Do you Have Them?

Because the world of work is changing, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education formed the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) to study the kinds of competencies and skills that workers must have to succeed in today's workplace.  The results of the study were published in a document entitled What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000.  A summary of the findings are provided in the tables below.

 

Table 1: SCANS' Five Competencies

Resources: Identifies, organizes, plans, and allocates resources

 

• Time - selects goal-relevant activities, ranks them, allocates time, and prepares and follows schedules
• Money - uses or prepares budgets, makes forecasts, keeps records, and makes adjustments to meet objectives
• Material and facilities - acquires, stores, allocates, and uses materials or space efficiently
• Human resources - assesses skills and distributes work accordingly, evaluates performance and provides feedback

Interpersonal: Works with others

• Participates as member of a team - contributes to group effort
• Teaches others new skills
• Services clients/customers - works to satisfy customers expectations
• Exercises leadership - communicates ideas to justify position, persuades and convinces others, responsibly challenges existing procedures and policies
• Negotiates - works toward agreements involving exchange of resources, resolves divergent interests
• Works with diversity - works well with men and women from diverse backgrounds

Information: Acquires and evaluates information

• Acquires and evaluates information
• Organizes and maintains information
• Interprets and communicates information
• Uses computers to process information

Systems: Understands complex interrelationships

• Understands systems - knows how social, organizational, and technological systems work and operates effectively with them
• Monitors and corrects performance - distinguishes trends, predicts impacts on system operations, diagnoses deviations in systems performance and corrects malfunctions
• Improves or designs systems - suggests modifications to existing systems and develops new or alternative systems to improve performance

Technology: Works with a variety of technologies

• Selects technology - chooses procedures, tools, or equipment including computers and related technologies
• Applies technology to task - understands intent and proper procedures for setup and operation of equipment
• Maintains and troubleshoots equipment - prevents, identifies, or solves problems with equipment, including computers and other technologies

---

Table 2:  A Three-Part Foundation of SCANS Skills and Personal Qualities

Basic Skills: Reads, writes, performs arithmetic and mathematical operations, listens, and speaks

• Reading - locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules
• Writing - communicates thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing; and creates documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts
• Arithmetic/mathematics - performs basic computations and approaches practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques
• Listening - receives, attends to, interprets, and responds to verbal messages and other cues
• Speaking - organizes ideas and communicates orally

Thinking Skills: Thinks creatively, makes decisions, solves problems, visualizes, knows how to learn, and reasons

• Creative thinking - generates new ideas
• Decision making - specifies goals and constraints, generates alternatives, considers risks, and evaluates and chooses best alternatives
• Problem solving - recognizes problems and devises and implements plan of action
• Visualizing - organizes and processes symbols
• Knowing how to learn - uses efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills
• Reasoning - discovers a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and applies it when solving a problem

Personal Qualities: Responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, integrity, and honesty

• Responsibility - exerts a high level of effort and perseveres towards goal attainment
• Self-esteem - believes in own self-worth and maintains a positive view of self
• Sociability - demonstrates understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy, and politeness in group settings
• Self-management - assesses self accurately, sets personal goals, monitors progress, and exhibits self-control
• Integrity/honesty - chooses ethical courses of action

The Hard Truth about Soft Skills

According to results of the latest global  Workforce Profile, the more valuable employee is one who can grow and learn as the business changes.

Soft skills “are as important, if not more important, than traditional hard skills to an employer looking to hire — regardless of industry or job type. This could offer a major breakthrough as educators and training providers seek to develop and cluster training courses to fit business and industry needs.”

Top 60 soft skills:

The Workforce Profile defined about 60 “soft skills”, which employers seek. They are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the “personal traits and skills that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type.”

1. Math.
2. Safety.
3. Courtesy.
4. Honesty.
5. Grammar.
6. Reliability.
7. Flexibility.
8. Team skills.
9. Eye contact.
10. Cooperation.
11. Adaptability.
12. Follow rules.
13. Self-directed.
14 Good attitude.
15. Writing skills.
16. Driver’s license.
17. Dependability.
18. Advanced math.
19. Self-supervising.
20. Good references.
21. Being drug free.
22. Good attendance.
23. Personal energy.
24. Work experience.
25. Ability to measure.
26. Personal integrity.
27. Good work history.
28. Positive work ethic.
29. Interpersonal skills.
30. Motivational skills.
31. Valuing education.
32. Personal chemistry.
33. Willingness to learn.
34. Common sense.
35. Critical thinking skills.
36. Knowledge of fractions.
37. Reporting to work on time.
38. Use of rulers and calculators.
39. Good personal appearance.
40. Wanting to do a good job.
41. Basic spelling and grammar.
42. Reading and comprehension.
43. Ability to follow regulations.
44. Willingness to be accountable.
45. Ability to fill out a job application.
46. Ability to make production quotas.
47. Basic manufacturing skills training.
48. Awareness of how business works.
49. Staying on the job until it is finished.
50. Ability to read and follow instructions.
51. Willingness to work second and third shifts.
52. Caring about seeing the company succeed.
53. Understanding what the world is all about.
54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard.
55. Commitment to continued training and learning.
56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility.
57. Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment.
58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six months.
59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the traditional eight-hour day.
60. Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.

Why Some Mediations Fail

The AEC Sector blog which provides timely information and news on architecture, engineering and construction topics posted an article entitled "Why Some Mediations Fail." 
While most mediations result in a settlement, some do not. A major cause of a failed mediation is that the participants approach mediation as informal, adversarial litigation. A party or attorney acting in this manner will address his or her remarks solely to the mediator, as if the mediator were a judge. Despite the mediator's efforts, the party refuses to have a dialogue with the opposing party and does not make a good faith effort to engage in settlement discussions. The mediation fails because the mediation process has never actually begun.
The post cites a number of online courses available from online education provider RedVector that can help people enhance their skills in this critical area. 
At the end of the article, the author provides links to three excellent online resources:

• Construction Mediation: An Introduction - Beginner
• Construction Mediation: Participating Effectively as a Party - Intermediate
• Construction Mediation: Participating Effectively as a Party - Advanced

It's definitely important to check this out, as mediation skills are essential, not just in Construction but in ANY profession.