December, 2009

December 08, 2009

Happy Holidays to All,

It's that time of the year when everything gets hectic, bright and loud. There is a lot of last minute rushing around to close out tasks and deals before the new year. I suspect that in this economy, we will have a great many retailers trying everything they can think of to separate us from our cash. The signs all point to a very conservative response to their pleas.

I've done my part to help the economy with the purchase of my annual book gift for my colleagues and clients. I thought long and hard about spending the cash and being the sentimental guy I am I decided to stick with tradition. This year's book is "The Dream Manager" and as an alternative "Creating Competitive Advantage."

We also introduce two new contributors to the ELC newsletter, Brad Remillard of IMPACT Hiring Solutions and Kira Bruno of Fortis Resource Partners. Brad and Kira are helping expand my main discussion on employees - what's happening with employment? I hope you enjoy this issue of ELC, and I encourage you to contribute through comments on our Blog.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support, compassion and encouragement. I wish you and your loved ones enough; enough time with family, enough love and enough wealth to give your life purpose and comfort. Happy Holidays and I hope to see you all in 2010.

Dave Kinnear

CEO, dbkAssociates, Inc.

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Those &^*#$@ people . . . !

Some thoughts on employment

A "frustrated" business owner I know recently exclaimed that "business would be fantastic if it wasn't for the &^*#$@ employees!" We both knew he didn't really mean that the way it sounded, and he was expressing the frustration of trying to run a business on the one hand while dealing with a wide diversity of demanding people (employees AND customers) on the other hand. Nobody said business would be easy.

Now is the time to be building our businesses. The conventional wisdom is that there are lots of "A" team players on the streets these days. Well, maybe so. I know several truly highly effective executives on the street due to downsizing that finally started cutting into the meat of an organization. I also know that an A player from one company may well not be an A player on another company's team. Brad Remillard speaks to that in his article below, and Kira Bruno addresses some thoughts on the "A" team being so easy to find.

Frankly, I have not had any trees order my services. I have not had any dogs ask me to coach them. I have had my cats (and my wife) tell me where to go. No buildings are writing me checks for helping them out. Okay, you get the point. We can't earn a living, build a business, or find intellectual stimulation unless we interact with - yes, you get it, people.

Read the rest of this article . . .

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Introducing Brad Remillard

Brad Remillard is an executive recruiter with over 25 years of experience. He and his partner, Barry Deutsch, founded IMPACT Hiring Solutions and have shattered all the myths about how to hire. That's why I like working with them - it's not the same old stuff repackaged. So I am delighted that Brad has agreed to contribute to the ELC blog and Newsletter. Here's Brad:

When an "A" Candidate isn't an "A" Employee

Has this ever happened? You screened hundreds of resumes, conducted extensive interviews, and found what you believed from the resume and interviews, the candidate that is perfect for the job. Exactly what you are looking for, maybe even better. You have high expectations for this new hire.

Then they come on board and fall flat on their face. Within 3 – 6 months you are saying to  yourself, “You’re NOT the person I hired” (a great title for a book).

You step back and start asking  yourself, “What went wrong? How could this have happened?”

Read the rest of this article . . .

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Introducing Kira Bruno

Kira Bruno began her career in the recruiting and staffing industry over 20 years ago, her ability to quickly understand the needs of a client along with her dedication and commitment to excellence in her profession lead her to create FORTIS Resource Partners, LLC (‘FORTIS’) in 2007. Here's Kira:

Needle in a Haystack

Where are all the good people?  Despite the overwhelming number of unemployed applicants, finding the best candidate is still difficult for many companies.

Almost half of the managers surveyed by the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations report revealed that a shortage in top talent is their biggest hiring challenge.

Read the rest of this article . . .

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