Have Telephone?

Are there still telephones in use in the business world?  Are people still talking or is this a keyboard society?  An article in the news today spoke ever increasing number of young people that prefer posting over talking and it makes you wonder just where our social skills are going. 

There are a few of us that still remember doing business before faxes, mobile phones, pagers and even computers came into play.  Business was built on relationships and conversations that were fostered by telephone and in person visits.  Even within the office people would get up and walk to the work area of a peer to ask a question.  Discussion often ensued and relationships were established.  People acted with urgency in that communications were not always quick and in order to meet goals and production standards it was essential to manage time wisely.

 Today we are blessed with time saving tools such as email and IM.  Calls can be made from just about anywhere and at any time.  Faxes can be done from your computer, documents can be scanned and emailed and messages are received on both your phone or computer.  Through the progress of tools we now have more time to accomplish more……or do we?  Is it possible that while we have more time that we are still doing the same amount of work as before?  Could it be that technology has afforded us a more liesurely work pace?  We are all busy but doing what.

Perhaps what is lost is the relationship aspect of our day.  For example, I received an emailed notice that a client is lowering the rates of their suppliers.  It was sent to an out dated corporate name and was done by an individual that we don’t know.  Could this have been prevented by a stronger visit and telephone campaign with this client?  I think so.  The electronic communications have become faceless and it is all to easy for someone to send a notice of rate change via email.  It certainly is harder to explain let alone defend by telephone or in person.  Could this have been prevented or at the least negotiated if we had that stronger relationship?  I think so.

My thought is for people to work the phones on a more aggressive level.  Start talking to your contacts.  Network new contacts.  Set a lunch.  Make a visit.  Start the process by picking up the phone.  I can offer a bunch of reasons for not calling when IM or email is easier but none of them can justify not having the conversational relationship that comes from talking with another person.  Visibility is not a bad thing and the phone is the first step in becoming more visible.

Progress Through Process

Besides inherent talent what makes one person potentially better than another?  Could it be desire?  Or is it an ability to focus on a result?  Having worked for multiple years in the staffing industry I have had the opportunity to work with people of varying levels of interest and success as well as different process’s and proceedures and at the end of the day I place my bet on the individual that has the desire coupled with defined work habits.

 One of my favorite examples of (unlikely) success is that of Wayne Crebet who went from Hofstra University to the New York Jets in the NFL.  Wayne was small and slow by NFL standards and was not perceived as having much of a chance to make the roster by the end of training camp.  Despite the odds, not only did he make the team but he went on to have a tremendously successful professional career.  How?  Why?

 It has been documented that Wayne had a work ethic that far exceeded most.  His desire to play pro ball was as strong as you could ask for.  His willingness build routines and to follow them enabled him to create repeatable successes.  He established goals and built process’s that if followed, would allow for higher results.

In the staffing industry there are those that haven fallen into success and others that have worked for it.  Additionally there are those that just never catch on and drift from position to position and eventually fall out of the industry.  Being able to identify those that are motivated and willing to learn…….become a student of the industry is the first step in building success.  Specifically, being in a position to teach/learn process and proceedure that promote growth becomes the opportunity from which to build.

Understanding that there are days that we are distracted due to illness, family, problem solving is part of the key.  Routines will allow us the ability to work through the obstacles and to still achieve the desired result.  Work with the peaks and valleys of the day/ week so that there is a consistency from which we can operate.  Successful athletes have routines.  Why shouldn’t we?  Being able to utilize the tools and technology that are available to us on a repetitive basis will be the foundation of our success.  It should be a foundation from which we build as we grow not one that provides us with a base level of effort and comfort.  This should be all about how we practice.  Repeat our words and actions so that we can perform in clutch situations and that we offer consistency to our peers and our customers.  Good habits will reward us with results.

Become a student of your chosen profession.  Find a mentor from which you can learn and discuss ways of process and improvement.  Work hard each and every day to build your routines that will provide repeatbale results and always look for ways to improve upon yourself.  Don Shula had indicated that he preferred players with fewer skills but with a burning desire to succeed because he “could teach skills but he couldn’t teach attititude”.  Our skills are meant to be developed and applied on a daily basis.  If applied properly we can all subscribe to progress through process.

Just received shipment of cigars and was able to try the CAO 65th Anniversay for the first time.  It was described as having a “complex flavor profile brimming with smooth, rich notes and a hint of natural sweetness”.  I don’t know about all that being that I’m a pretty simple indivdual but I will say that it was a really nice cigar!  The Ton Ton (5″x50) burned well and did not get hot at any point of the smoke and proved to be of quality in appearance and taste.  Interestingly enough, I tried it out with a friend who prefers the stronger cigars while I tend to be a mild to medium individual and surprisingly enough, the 65th Anniversay proved to be a pleasure for us both!  Seems to be a great choice for the price….

Cigars and Politics

It’s interesting how random topics as presented by the media have a way of running in cycles.  Following the splash made by the California governor for reportedly smoking a Cuban cigar, there have been multiple stories about life on the island and the degree of poverty that is common for the majority of its inhabitants.  While I was not aware of the state subsidy that is provided to each Cuban it appears that it does little to improve their daily way of life.  Focus was made on the lack of fast food in Cuba (I’m not sure that that is a bad thing) and that the state run stores where you can buy hot dogs and a few other items is typically out of financial reach for most.  In all this, a new and enterprising industry has sprung up and has quickly become an popular outlet for city dwelling Cubans.  Specifically, people are making various foods and more specifically, pizza in their homes and are selling it on demand to passers by.  In many cases the food is prepared in dwellings that are above street level and are lowered to the buyer in small baskets.  Payment is made prior to receiving the food by using the same basket.  This seems to be an resourceful and enterprising way for the to fill a void in a struggling economy and is indicative of the need to allow this country to get back on track.

 When asked why there is a trade embargo with Cuba, I’m sure that the majority of Americans would be unable to answer.  Times have changed, and probably the laws should also.  I am in agreement with Ink Slinger who was kind enough to point out that the Cuban cigars are no better than other products that are available here in the United States and that we probably are looking at this as “forbidden fruit”.  Still it’s interesting that the simple act of one man smoking a Cuban cigar can make such a media impact in all the wrong ways.  Perhaps it would be better to forget about the smoke and take a long look in the mirror……….

Cigars and Politics

Ten days ago it was reported by the media that Arnold Schwartzenegger was seen smoking a cigar with links to Cuba.  At the time he was in Canada and there was no positive proof that the cigar was Cuban.  In fact an aide to the governor said that an answer was impossible to get in that the cigar had already been smoked!  In the scheme of things I have to wonder what the impact of Mr. Schwartzenegger smoking a cigar from Cuba has on the world today.  While there is the standing law that states that any American violating trade regulations/ sanctions can serve time in jail, is it a violation to smoke a Cuban cigar while in Canada where they are legal? 

Even more to the point, does this reported activity bring to bear a more interesting question such as the sanctions against Cuba which were imposed in another era and under different circumstances?  The sale of Cuban cigars in other parts of the world such as Europe and Mexico has done little to positively affect the Cuban economy and certainly done little for the overall politcal health of that country.  With the passage of time do the sanctions really amount to much and does the actions of a U.S. citizen as related to a cigar really warrant the ripple through the media?  Probably not.

On an additional note, with the reported number of counterfeit Cuban cigars in the world market coupled with the availability of quality products such as the CAO brand that is manufactured in Central America why make a fuss over a brand that is illegal?  I have to believe that if the Cuban products were available here in the U.S. that they would have minimal impact in the long run. For the price, quality and consistency my vote stays with CAO! 

As for the governor, his reported actions did little to promote an illegal product and instead should have drawn the media into a discussion over the aging sanctions and their validity in the world today.  Point missed………….

Contract Employee Ownership

Just a thought.  As previously discussed, the staffing industry has attempted to institute structure to the sale of contract labor through the use of various tools including contracts.  Suppliers have their own as do the clients and time is spent trying to amend the verbage of each.  To that end, even with a contract do we really own or have rights on what we sell?

Certainly we represent people and would like exclusivity to submit them for an appropriate period of time and attempt to hold agreements such as this.  Realistcally, it’s hard to enforce such an arrangement.  Candidates look for multiple agencies to increase their potential.  Clients do the same.  Large companies have different buying mechanisims and our right to a candidate might be good in one department but not another.  Without the benefit of the knowledge that a staffing firm is getting all orders from their client and in turn can submit a candidate to all appropriate requisitions, it is hard to say that that firm owns the rights to any candidate.

Small to mid-size clients allow staffing firms to rely on relationships to protect their interests but not so in a larger environment.  At best, a staffing firm can submit a candidate on the openings that they currently hold and if that same candidate turns up on another requisition in another department through a competitor, take it for what it is worth and look for ways to penetrate that account further.  It appears that this is not an issue of ownership but rather of relationship (both with the client as well as with the contract employee) as well as an ability to fully develop an account.

At the end of the day a staffing firm will win some as well as lose some and it is how the loses are managed that will dictate the further development of relationships and account penetration!

Interestingly enough staffing firms have in an attempt to distinguish themselves created solutions to any number of topics. Change is good when kept in perspective. Years ago it was not uncommon for sales people to “distinguish” themselves by telling perspective clients that they performed reference checks. Then it became background investigations and so on and so on…………..All to often the process that is entailed in placing a candidate has become so involved that it can be restrictive in getting the right person in a timely and cost effective fashion. The industry should as you suggest, look at what is best as a solution and build performance based reputations versus unsustainable promises.

While the staffing industry is caught in this race to build bigger solutions, perhaps we should look at what one of my larger clients views as significant concern is the predicted shortage of degreed candidates to fill technical jobs in the future. No longer is the client concerned about the cost. Opening off-shore locations and providing U.S. based management to direct efforts will be costly but applicable. What does this do to the staffing industry model? What solutions can be provided to ensure longevity? Will the industry shift from a large population of companies to a smaller number that are international in nature and can financially afford to play in this space? Time will tell what path the staffing industry takes but it certainly is one that runs the risk of building solutions that don’t always offer the right person at an appropriate price.