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.

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.

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.” — 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.

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/.

*    *    *    *    *    *

For interviews:

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

Here’s something that might surprise you. Leadership development is NOT just for CEOs, college students, and aspiring middle managers. Whether you know it or not, someone in this world looks up to you as a leader.

“Leadership has less to do with position than it has with disposition.”
– John C. Maxwell

Since we are all leaders in some capacity, we must each ask, “What kind of leader am I?”  If I’m honest, the answer is likely to cause an “ah-ha!” moment revealing that there is room to improve my leadership skills in my role at home as a parent, at work, at church, and in our neighborhood and civic organizations.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams, sixth U.S. president

“While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors, or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting, and painting.”
– Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge. p. 222.

“Our earlier belief that leadership comes about primarily through managerial ability has been replaced by an awareness of skills needed for understanding people and dealing with their problems productively.”
– Academic Leader, p. 3, Sept. 1994.

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”
— Ralph Nader, activist.

The first part of leadership development involves feeding the mind. Zig Ziglar says that from the neck down, we’re each only worth about $10-20 an hour. But from the neck up, we have unlimited earning potential. So, what do most people do? They feed the $10-20 part three times a day and neglect the part that has the most potential. With the limitless supply of courses, books, recordings, workshops and seminars, there is no excuse for this. The solution is simple. Start a new habit. While driving, instead of listening to a Jon Bon Jovi CD, listen to a John C. Maxwell CD. Transform your car into a “mobile university.”

Mentoring is the second crucial component of leadership development. Everyone should have a trusted someone with leadership credentials who can help guide him or her along the journey. In fact, I recommend a team approach. I have such a team that I privately refer to as my Board of Directors. These are people whose opinions I seek when I am wrestling with an issue or need a second opinion about something.

Some are people I associate with on a regular basis who care how I’m doing and are available and willing to offer guidance when I need it. They support my journey with advice, patience, understanding and wisdom. They are part of my accountability team, helping me up when I fall and keeping me grounded when I get flighty. They watch my back and my step.

“Nothing makes it easier to resist temptation than a proper bringing-up, a sound set of values – and witnesses.”
— Franklin P. Jones

Now, I’m not implying that my “Board Members” follow me around 24×7. But, in a sense they do. Just asking myself what they would say is often all I need to get back on track. You should have a Board of Directors, too.

“Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
– Bible, Proverbs 11:14

“A leader lives with people to know their problems. A leader lives with God in order to solve them.”
– John C. Maxwell

Leadership preparation without implementation is hollow. So the final piece is an opportunity. The first leadership opportunity is found within. We all have the responsibility to first build leadership within ourselves. It is impossible to lead others effectively unless one can effectively lead himself.

As people see the changes in you, leadership opportunities will seem to appear out of nowhere. In fact, there are an infinite number of opportunities. I have a network marketing business that is an ideal workshop for practicing leadership. The business itself demands mastery of just a few basic skills. The rest is all about acquiring and honing leadership attitudes and habits. A couple weeks ago I became a first-time grandfather.  Someday soon, whether I like it or not, whether I am ready or not, that child will look up to me as a leader.  I intend to be ready.

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.”
– Bill Bradley, U.S. Senator

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”
– Tom Peters

I’ll close with some of my favorite leadership quotes.

“Leadership is not something that you learn once and for all. It is an ever-evolving pattern of skills, talents, and ideas that grow and change as you do.”
– Sheila Murray Bethel

“It is not such a fiercesome thing to lead once you see your leadership as part of God’s overall plan for His world.”
– Calvin Miller

“Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage that will endure. That’s because leadership has two sides: what a person is (character) and what a person does (competence).”
– Stephen R. Covey

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.”
– Robert Townsend

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

I’ve heard it said, “The fortune is at the finish line.” The best example I can think of is farming. The farmer can plant, water, and fertilize, but these activities mean absolutely nothing unless the farmer harvests the crop. The harvest is at the finish line — success is all about finishing.

“There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.”
– Thomas Sowell

Swimming champion Michael Phelps is an expert finisher. In Beijing, the Men’s 100 meter butterfly final was decided by a hundredth of a second. Phelps and Milorad Cavic approached the wall both needing a partial stroke to finish, with Phelps still trailing. Cavic coasted. Phelps drove hard into the wall. I believe it was the instinct of a master finisher that caused Phelps to take that extra short stroke and make up the deficit.

“Epic. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he’s maybe the greatest athlete of all time. He’s the greatest racer who ever walked the planet.”
– Mark Spitz (on Phelps winning his 7th gold medal)

While people continue to talk about the photo finish, Phelps actually out-finished his opponents at the other end of the pool as well. World-class swimmers know that the end of each length is actually the start of the next one and an opportunity to build momentum. Phelps reigned supreme in finishing every length, not just the final one. Going back to the race of the century, Phelps was said to be in seventh place going into the turn. Coming out, he appeared to be in fourth. Without two strong finishes, he would not have earned the gold.

So many people never put themselves in position for a strong finish because they never even get started. If I had been born as Yogi Berra, I might have said, “70% of success is showing up. The other half is finishing.” To become an expert finisher, first become an expert starter. As long as you develop the mindset of a starter, you are positioned to finish. Then, as you become a consistent finisher, you can learn to do it faster and better.

“It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien

To finish first, you must first finish.”
– Rick Mears

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

There’s satisfaction in finishing if for no other reason than the objective can be crossed of the list.

“Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.”
– Arnold Bennett

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
– William James

In other cases, satisfaction is found in the task itself. In fact, rushing through the task can result in missing the enjoyment.

“Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
– Greg Anderson

“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”
– Fr. Alfred D’Souza

Based on this concept, one would have to conclude that the old adage about success and paying the price is all wrong. Zig Ziglar explains, “You do not pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.” Struggles and challenges become part of the adventure. When this attitude connects with a vision, a champion is born.

“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.”
– Andrew Carnegie

Keeping promises is another aspect of finishing. Whether it’s a promise, a small task, or a major goal, the objective needs to be following through to the finish line. There is no integrity without finishing and no professionalism without integrity. To become known as a person of integrity, one must develop the good habit of finishing.

“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”
– Vince Lombardi, American football coach.

“Professionalism is knowing how to do it, when to do it, and doing it.”
– Frank Tyger

“We are judged by what we finish, not what we start.”
– Anonymous

Find that to-do list. Get busy crossing off the artifacts of your procrastination. Don’t worry about perfection. Perfectionism is a stumbling block for finishing. Many times, my late father-in law used the following expression to make this very point.

“It’s good enough for who it’s for.”
-– Donald P. Nock, teacher and coach.

Fear of imperfection is a poor excuse for not starting and not finishing. Approach every task in four parts: get started, make mistakes, learn from the mistakes and finish strong.

“It’s not where you start it’s where you finish.
It’s not how you go, its how you land.
A hundred-to-one shot, they called him a klutz,
He can outrun the favor all he needs is the guts.
Your final return will not diminish
And you can be the cream of the crop.
It’s not where you start it’s where you finish
And you’re gonna finish on top.”

“It’s Not Where You Start (It’s Where You Finish)” Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

* * * * *

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

The team leader of a group of engineers looked across the desk at the people in the team he managed. “If only I could treat these people as I do my designs and work out a logical way of solving their problems, and improving their performance,” he thought. “I design and build bridges to cross difficult terrain. I put up barricades so I can stop people from entering areas that I don’t want them to go into. Why, then, don’t I help people build bridges across the difficult issues they face in their personal and business lives? Why don’t I show them how to remove the barricades and let them explore the possibilities of new relationships and unexplored territories, find new paths and, using the bridges they build, achieve an effective way of reaching new and exciting lands.”

He got up from his desk and walked to the closest young team member and asked, “What do you want to achieve in life?”

Startled, the young team member looked up and said, “What is it to you? All you want from me is results and I’m giving that to you aren’t I?”

“Yes you are,” the engineer replied, “But I want you to know that I‘m interested in your future. What do you want from life?”

“I’ve never really thought about it,” the young team member replied, “I did my schooling and just got a job and here I am.”

“It’s time you gave it some thought,” said the engineer. “I want to help you remove the barriers to the future and work with you to build bridges to new and exciting areas you never thought possible. Can we do that together?”

“He that would be a leader must be a bridge.” — Welsh Proverb

The Birth of Development Beyond Learning

So commenced a process for both the engineer and the young team member of building bridges and removing barricades. The things they explored together have since been expanded into the complete suite of Development Beyond Learning (DBL) learning modules, assessment tools, models, methods, and success stories.

Development Beyond Learning is more than a training company. It is a development organisation committed to facilitating individual and organisational change both in and beyond the classroom. Through the use of our suite of multi-media learning materials, our “enlighten, engage, empower” process, and our  “Blueprint for Change” a journey through change can be mapped and embarked upon at any level within an organisation. The results of this are seen in personal, professional, and organisational growth, which succeeds in getting people “unstuck” from the day-to-day grind and motivated to make change and achieve that which they want to do and now believe is possible.