Who Will Be the Victor?
by Clancy Cross

The economic downturn has created a ceasefire in the global war for talent.  But, for how long?  Demographics and the march toward economic globalization practically guarantee that this so-called “war” will resume as we emerge from the economic downturn.  Proactive organizations are already preparing for battle.

Let’s first address the recruiting and retention war from the perspective of the employer.  A study published by The Economist in May 2008, which had a sampling of 944 executives from across the globe, listed the following mission-critical capabilities for organizational success:

• Dealing with and managing change (68%)
• Strategic thinking (45%)
• Communication and interpersonal skills (41%)
• Analytical and problem solving (32%)
• Working in virtual teams (31%)
• Project management (27%)

A 2009 report commissioned by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) included the following interesting responses:

• 89% of employers indicated that competition for graduates was one of their major business challenges.
• Over 80% said oral communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills are “very important” competencies they look for in the recruitment and selection process.
• 18% of recruiters are ‘not very satisfied’ with applicants’ emotional intelligence.
• 52% of recent hires cited the organization’s training and development program as a reason to remain with their current employer.
• Of the top 19 responses, 13 competencies sought by employees were soft skills such as: people management, relationship building, communication, project management, and emotional intelligence.

Distilling these data points yields three conclusions: 1) an organization needs a strategic approach to recruiting and retention; 2) the strategy must include training and development as a key element; and 3) the success of the organization depends to a major degree on the success of the strategy.

The role of soft skills is increasingly taking center stage in staffing-related decisions, from the perspective of both the employer and employee.  Organizations need employees who are competent in the disciplines of their industry AND well-grounded in the soft skills.  Recruits and employees see the employer as a partner in their career development.

For the time being, it is an employer’s market.  However, as we move toward economic recovery, the battle will heat up.  Employers must prepare to compete as hard (or harder) for the workforce they need as they do for customers.  Whether oriented around an in-house, out-sourcing, or blended approach, a personnel development strategy that enlightens, engages, and empowers young talent is crucial to winning the war for talent.

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Copyright 2009, Clancy Cross. All rights reserved.
Republished with permission.

The Generational Gap is Closing. Are You ready?
by Josh Mackenzie

Age is no longer an indicator of mindset.

Grandparents are webcam-ing their grandchildren on Skype to stay in touch on a Sunday night.

Young adults are learning resilience in the downturn and becoming frugal with their finances after witnessing their parents’ superannuation disappear overnight.

Generational gaps are closing. The lines between traditionally distinct generational groups are becoming blurred and less relevant in our personal and professional lives. Skills, behaviours, mindsets, influences, values, hopes and fears are converging and morphing across generations every single day.

Take technology and social networking for instance:

> 33% of Twitter users are more than 40 years old;
> 40% of MySpace users are between 35 and 55 years old;
> The average age of a Linked-In user is 41 years old;
> 45% of Facebook users are more than 26 years old;
> The fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users is women aged 55+

Clearly, web 2.0 social networking is no longer just the domain of the young.

If a phenomenon as widespread as social networking, once seen as the domain of the young, has been embraced in everyday life by people of all ages to the extent it has … what other popularised generational assumptions no longer hold true?

And are you ready for what that could mean?

We can no longer view our people, customers and leaders as members of distinct generational groups. It’s time for a Multi-Generational approach.

The challenge that will infiltrate how we lead, manage and grow our people is that we need to reframe how we think about generations. Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers are redundant definitions – so where do we and our people, customers and leaders fit in?

Chances are we don’t.

Our beliefs, behaviours and mindsets are shaped not only in our early years, today we are influenced and shaped every single day. The magnitude and reach of modern day change means no-one escapes its impact.

Choosing to operate with generic, generalised generational assumptions will disengage our people, disconnect our customers and disempower our leaders.

The impact of multi-generational thinking and the closing of generational gaps on young professionals, middle managers and senior leaders is profound.

If you were a young professional this year, what would it mean for you in 12 months time if your leader reviewed your performance and told you that over the last year you have been an extraordinary performer … That you have stood out and caught the eye of senior leaders in the business who have all asked for your name and earmarked you for a fast track talent program to elevate your career forward? That you have developed an incredible ability to engage with people, customers and leaders of all ages and backgrounds like few young professionals they have seen?

If you were a middle manager this year, what would it mean to you if you could walk in to any meeting at any level in your business with any group of colleagues or clients with the capacity to inspire and the skill to engage people of all ages. Whether they be 21, 41, 61 or a convergence of all three, you drive them through change, uncertainty and growth and in to action to move your company forward?

If you were a senior leader this year, a top executive, what it mean for you if in 12 months time, that after leading through the second, maybe third major economic downturn in your esteemed career that you remain dominate in your industry as a leader of thought, people and success?

The Real Challenge

The real challenge is to rethink how relevant popularised generational assumptions are. The time is now to understand how skills, behaviours, mindsets and influences are converging across generations across all parts of our lives.

In our organisations, the questions leaders must answer are:

1. How can we best understand and leverage the generational convergence of our people and customers?
2. How can we best develop multi-generational leaders?
3. What is the impact of generational convergence on our strategy and plans for growth?
4. How can we best understand and leverage generational convergence in our every-day lives?

The Future

Leaders, teams and organisations who realise the challenges and opportunities generational convergence presents will be those who succeed in to the future.

Generational convergence is having profound implications on how all people interact, deal with change and do business.

Are you ready?

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Copyright July 1, 2009, Josh Mackenzie.  All rights reserved.
Republished with permission.

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Mackenzie Visits U.S. To Support DBL Business Expansion Effort
June 1, 2009

Josh Mackenzie is well-known throughout Australia as a passionate thought leader, a dynamic speaker/trainer, one of Australia’s top young entrepreneurs, and one of the hottest tickets in Australia.  His insight and experience is built upon more than a decade of leading, speaking, training, and working directly with all generations and an A-list of multinational and corporate Australian clients.

Mackenzie recently wrapped up a six-city speaking tour  for CPA Australia’s Next Generation Leaders Conference.  You can hear and see an EvoTV interview with Mackenzie reflecting on concepts from his presentation.

Next, Mackenzie will travel to the U.S for a four-stop tour that includes Las Vegas, Dayton, Chicago, and San Francisco.  The tour is part of the company’s expansion into North America.  His itinerary is given below.

June 9-13

Mackenzie will attend the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tuesday June 16, 7:30 – 9:00 am

Mackenzie will attend a LinkedINDayton networking event at Champps in Centerville, Ohio.  Reservations requested.  Contact: Mike Morley, linkedindayton@gmail.com.

Wednesday June 17, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Mackenzie will conduct a corporate training session in Miamisburg, Ohio, entitled, “The Real You – Uncovering Values, Finding Direction, and Staying Inspired”.  Guests are welcome by special arrangement.  The event is free.  Contact: Clancy Cross, 937.660.5217, CCross@DBLearning.biz.

Thursday June 18, 7:30 – 8:30 am

Mackenzie is the keynote speaker for Phil Herzing’s “Productivity Series” in Centerville, Ohio.  The presentation is entitled, “Keeping Your Tank Full — Practical Motivational Tools for a Dry Season”. The event is free. Advance registration is requested. Contact:  Phil Herzing, PhilHerzing@gmail.com.

Friday June 19, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

A free public seminar hosted by Development Beyond Learning and led by Mackenzie will take place at “The Greene” in Beavercreek, Ohio.

8:00 am      Registration (bagels, coffee and juice)
8:30 am      Presentation #1 – “Winning the NEW War for Talent in Tough Times”
10:00 am   Q&A, networking, refreshments
10:30 am    Presentation #2 – “Leading and Communicating in the New World”
11:55 am     Wrap-up

The event is free.  Participants may attend one or both presentations.  Contact: Clancy Cross, 937.660.5217, CCross@DBLearning.biz

Saturday June 20, Chicago, IL

Contact to schedule appointment: 937.660.5217, CCross@DBLearning.biz)

Monday June 22, San Francisco, CA

Contact to schedule appointment: 937.660.5217, CCross@DBLearning.biz

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For interviews:

In Australia contact: info@DBLearning.biz, +612 82218885
In U.S., contact: CCross@DBLearning.biz, 937.660.5217

“Be Prepared” — A Motto for All
by Clancy Cross

“Be prepared.” — Boy Scouts’ Motto

It’s a simple instruction. A user’s manual might expand this admonishment as, “Be mentally, physically, and emotionally ready and properly equipped and outfitted to act or refrain from acting before, during or after something positive or negative does or does not occur.” The Boy Scouts said it much better.

Being prepared begins with understanding what might happen and the potential consequences if it occurs. This is followed by making an appropriate plan.

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”
— Unknown

“It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.”
– Jackie Joyner-Kersee

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower

Being prepared for battle, fire, sickness, recession, flood, lay-off, and the other negative stuff is only one part of the equation. It is equally important to be ready for opportunity.

“We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”
– John W. Gardner

“A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.”
— Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893 – 1986)

“It’s not the will to win that matters…everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
– Paul “Bear” Bryant

Planning and urgency go hand-in-hand. “Wait, I’m not ready!” is an ineffective response to the sudden appearance of either disaster or opportunity.

“But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”
– Bible, Matthew 24:43

“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
— Napoleon Hill

“It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.”
– Aesop (620 BC – 560 BC), The Ant and the Grasshopper

“It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
– Mark Twain

Responsible living is all about preparation. Many things will happen in the next moment, the next month, the next year, and in the next decade. The possibilities are both foreseen and unforeseen including vacation, relocation, separation, trepidation and expectation. That’s why the Boy Scouts say, “Be Prepared.”

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
– Colin Powell

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Copyright 2009, Clancy Cross. All rights reserved.
Republished with permission.

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Development Beyond Learning Announces U.S. Expansion
May 28, 2009

Development Beyond Learning, a multi-national training and consulting company based in Sydney, Australia, announced today the establishment of the first of fifteen new business entities in the U.S.  In addition, discussions with entrepreneurs in four other regions are in the early stages.

When asked, “Why now?” co-founder Gary Lear responded, “There is no better time for a growing business like ours to expand than during the down side of an economic cycle.”  Referring to a presentation he made last March for Magnet and Polymer Ohio, Lear went on to explain that, “there are strategic moves businesses need to make to ensure they emerge stronger from the recession. One of those is continuous training and development of their people to empower them to lead and navigate change in this new environment … and it must provide strong return on their investment”.

Owner of the first Development Beyond Learning (DBL) partnership and leading the company’s U.S. expansion is Clancy Cross, formerly with the University of Dayton Research Institute.  “We’re getting the word out and it’s amazing how people are attracted toward the DBL training and development approach.  As for who’s actually doing training now, it’s a mixed bag.  Some organizations are riding out the storm in a proverbial bunker.  Others are accelerating their training agendas as part of a strategy to capitalize on this economy.  It comes down to a choice between a survive mindset and a thrive mindset,” said Cross.

Development Beyond Learning – Great Lakes, LLC is hosting a free training event Friday June 19^th at “The Greene” near Dayton, Ohio.  The facilitator will be Josh Mackenzie from Australia.  Details are posted at: http://clancycross.wordpress.com/events/.

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For interviews:

In Australia contact: info@DBLearning.biz, +612 82218885
In U.S., contact: CCross@DBLearning.biz, 937.660.5217

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