Beyond just finding something of interest, passions, concerns, experiences and deepest ambitions (along with many other attributes) all have their own important part to play in your journey.

While you could make this journey alone perhaps you might choose to ask for the support of someone such as a personal life coach or career counsellor. This wonderful article tells a great story of one person’s experience with three very different kinds of support from three very different people.

Who would you choose for support?

The employment interviewer, the vocational counsellor and the dream weaver was written by Robert J Gregory

To remind you of the gold nugget(s!) that you took away from Cori Maedel’s seminar, please find her Performance Program presentation here.

Share your nuggets with your fellow CMAs by commenting below – what did you take away from the session?

From each of the four sessions that Cori presented on Tuesday, one prize-winner was drawn. The prize from each session is a gift certificate valid for one hour of free Coaching or HR Services provided by Jouta.

The 4 winners are:
Cathy Coates of Transroute International
Clay Harmon of the Kitsumkalum Indian Band
Maria Alalayan Foo of West Coast Sightseeing
Miriam Redford of Fasken Martineau

Congratulations to each of you!

Did you know?

As part of our human resources consulting, one of Jouta’s services includes providing a free risk-assessment. If your company would like a risk assessment on their Human Resources practices, contact us to take a look. We’ll tell you where you stand and, if anything needs to be done, what those things are and how we can help.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Otherwise we will hopefully see you at next year’s 2011 Leadership Conference!

The Jouta Team

Even in these enlightened times, women are scarce in leadership positions in many companies. Those who’ve made it to the management level often feel isolated and struggle to develop their leadership style. Is it really necessary for a woman to work twice as hard to be considered half as good? Does she have to be the toughest person in the room or is she expected to play a more nurturing role? Should she be playing a role of any kind?

Almost seven years ago, I created a mentorship program primarily for women. I was working for an organization where I saw many women getting in the way of their own success. Their corporate environment didn’t always follow the rules that they knew, and they felt constrained by what they thought were the expectations of their peers. Some of these women seemed to be leaving their strengths and individuality at home when they came to the office.

About 20 women volunteered to be in the first mentorship program. I assigned them randomly to groups of five (plus myself), in the belief that six people around a table would lead to a good discussion without allowing anyone to hide. In the first session, I asked each group to set some ground rules for confidentiality and respectful communication.

After that, I asked what they hoped to get out of the program. I explained that each group would set its own agenda for the first six bi-weekly sessions. They would commit to attending that many sessions, with an option to book more if they felt the experience was valuable. Depending on what the group wanted to accomplish, I would bring out various exercises, readings and discussion topics.

My first realization was how each group had similar things that they wanted to work on. Communication skills, relationships with co-workers and, especially, building self-confidence were the areas of greatest interest. Over and over, I heard the comment, “Wow, I thought I was the only one.” The participants in the first sessions took away the powerful message that we are more similar than different and that others share our struggles.

Almost everyone chose to continue after the first six sessions, and, over time, trust, warmth and confidence developed. I immediately found that I was gaining as much insight and encouragement from the sessions as I was giving. The expression “fill up your cup” became part of the language of the program. Participants who felt drained of energy by other events of the day would describe having their reserves of hope and enthusiasm filled up by meeting with the group.

We became each other’s comforters, cheerleaders and coaches. When one member of the group expressed a desire to accomplish a goal, she knew that she would be held accountable by the rest of the group.

I made a promise to myself that I would personally follow every piece of advice that I gave to other participants, even when following that advice didn’t feel entirely comfortable. This strategy has pushed me to accomplish more in my business and personal life than I would have thought possible seven years ago.

Many women worry about being seen to lack knowledge or technical expertise. They assume that the more senior people in their organization must be more knowledgeable than themselves, despite the fact that most of us are specialists with in-depth knowledge of particular areas that few others could match.

One of the mentorship participants admitted that, in conversations with her boss, he used many acronyms that she didn’t understand. The mentorship group challenged her to put aside her fear of appearing ignorant and simply ask him what they meant. She did. His response was, “I don’t know what some of these things stand for either.”

Other women came in to improve an area of their work lives, but ended up with tools to strengthen their relationships with their families as well. Some of the success stories were dramatic – for example, bringing into focus the desire to change careers and finding the courage to take the first steps toward that vision. Others were small shifts, such as learning how to let minor annoyances go by without wasting energy on them.

Gradually, we began to recognize what a powerful force dialogue can be. It starts with a genuine interest and curiosity about others’ experiences and ideas. By making ourselves open to what others can teach us, we are taken in unexpected directions and given insights that someone has spent her lifetime learning.

Today, the mentorship program has gained a name, Kokoro(e), which means mind, body, spirit and knowledge. The program is offered to corporate groups and to individuals. More information can be found at www.jouta.com.

As busy women, many of us don’t take much time to think about our personal goals and dreams. Through mentoring, we challenge each other to take them seriously and to put in the effort needed to move them forward. We have discovered that we all have something to teach and something to learn, and that we learn best from each other. •

Our application took two wks to approve and we implemented it as soon as we got the approval; the Work Share officer assigned to us has been very helpful in advising me on how to approach changes to our application, additions to our unit, etc; the EI officers assigned to us in Vancouver is very efficient and quick to respond to calls or emails. The learning curve to the paper work requirements is steep at first, but quickly levels off. We probably spent 3 hours doing our first batch of cards and utilization reports to submit to EI; this time will be less, as the cards are mailed to the employees at different intervals (hard to track for payment timing) and I send in my utilization report bi-weekly (this can be mailed or emailed). The reporting of hours is currently being changed to electronic submission which will decrease the time it takes for the employees to receive their monies from EI.

I will know more, when the employees receive their EI payments to see what the turnaround time is for them.

Just to give the Work Share program another YEAH, I had to apply for an extension on our program already in place and they approved it within one week. This process of “amendments” normally takes 3-4 wks. So the folks at the Work Share unit are really trying to ensure companies keep their employees working, even if it’s at a reduced work week.

Have a great day in the rain.” – Belinda Rappel, Human Resources

With all the change going on in the world these days, there is uncertainty in many sectors.

Some organizations continue to thrive while others are simply struggling to survive.

For those struggling, I suspect one of the things you are looking at is where to cut costs. With labour costs generally one of the highest, if not the highest expense for a company, some of you may be asking:

• Is it time to lay off some of our workforce?
• If I do, will it be a long-term or short-term layoff?
• How will I manage the workload if I don’t have enough employees to do the work I need to complete?
• What if I lay off employees today and we get a big contract tomorrow?

All of these questions are necessary, and another question I would like you to consider is:

• Would the EI Work-Sharing Program benefit my employees and my company?

As you are considering your next steps, I want to make you aware of this program. It has been in existence for many years, with enhancements made as recently as February 2009 to reflect the current economic reality.

Read more about the EI Work-Sharing Program.

The company felt fragmented, employees didn’t understand what the big picture was, and not everyone was working towards the same vision or goals which intensified as the company grew.  Productivity wasn’t efficient and staff didn’t feel like an important part of the team.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• When was the last time you set organizational goals in writing and communicated them to all employees in the company?
• Are they S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Focused, Time Bound?
• When was the last time you reviewed them?
• Do individual employees have their own goals?
• What is the process for ensuring alignment of the corporate, team and individual goals?
• If we asked individual team members in your company what the vision or mission of the company was, would they know?  Or would they have to look it up somewhere, or do they even exist?
• If we asked individual team members in your company what the goals of the company were would they answer the question the same way you would?
• Do your team members know the role they play in the overall success of the organization?

No matter what the size of your company is, effective communication of the company’s goals and vision are a critical way to make employees feel like part of the team and ensure everyone is on the same page.  Goals are important to have at all levels of the organization – corporate mission and vision, annual goals and targets for the organization, departmental goals, and individual goals that are aligned.

If you guide your employees in setting goals that really matter to the company, your employees will be more empowered by knowing how his or her job impacts the organization’s success.  You will increase motivation, loyalty, and create an overall positive atmosphere throughout your company.

Coming to work at Jouta was a stark contrast to what I had previously experienced.  We have clearly defined goals, and we regularly review our company mission, vision, and values to make sure they’re still relevant, and to ensure we’re all moving in the same direction.

We each feel like a huge part of the team and know that our contribution is valued, making us more efficient and productive.  This gives us an overall sense of importance to the company and increased motivation.

We Walk Our Talk – Don’t wait to align your workforce and increase productivity; the unmeasured cost to the bottom line can be staggering.

Call Jouta at 604-488-8885 today, let us help you succeed!

I have had my share of poor employee orientations, everything from being forgotten (“oh you’re starting today?”) to my new manager being out-of-town for the week that I was starting (‘here, why don’t you read these manuals until she returns.’) The impact that a well-planned orientation has on one’s employment experience is immeasurable.

Here is my story of the best orientation I have experienced:

The day after I accepted the position, a courier package arrived at my door. My new company had sent me their Handbook, marketing material, payroll and benefit forms – so I could review them and be well prepared for my first day. Enclosed in the package was also an organizational chart with my name on it!

On my first day, not only were they expecting me, there was there a name plate on my desk, my e-mail, office, filing cabinet AND phone were all set up. I had keys and a security pass assigned to me and the icing on the cake was the business cards waiting for me – with my name and new title on them!

I spent half the day with Human Resources where I was toured around, introduced to everyone and then sat down with HR to go through the company handbook and forms. I was provided the opportunity to ask any and all questions that I had about things so far. After lunch with my new team, the second half of the day I spent with my new boss. We went through the training schedule which had me meeting with all departments that I would be interacting with.

On my second day, imagine my surprise and delight when a huge bouquet of flowers arrived on my desk with a card signed by all senior management, welcoming me to the team!

In summary, I felt welcome from the very second that I accepted the position. Everything from the courier package of information to the flowers were well thought out and appreciated and showed me that everyone was anticipating my start at the new company. It made the employment relationship start off with them on the right foot and immediately helped me feel a part of the team.

Overall the national average is similar to last year however there is a difference by region. Canada’s slowing economy is colliding with the war for talent to push the national average forecast for base salaries up by 3.7 per cent for 2009. Click this link to look at the average adjustments expected by region and by major industry grouping: Average Salary Adjustments

To complement the video, we have put together some points to think about when you are planning your next recruiting process:

Have a Plan

Interviewing is an important task. Take interviewing as seriously as you would take any other part of your job. Whether you are hiring for your 1st or 100th employee, be prepared with questions and follow a system that will help you identify your top candidates. Respect the candidate’s time by being punctual and having an agenda in place to get the most of the valuable time you are spending interviewing.

Interviewing is a Two-Way Street

It is best if an interview resembles a conversation, where both the interviewer and interviewee have the opportunity to ask and answer questions. There should be ample opportunity for the interviewee to ask questions that will help them discover if this is the right environment for them.

Ask the Right Questions

Be sure to analyze exactly what you are looking for and ask the questions that will help you find out whether the candidate has the top qualities you are seeking. Dig into their responses – if someone says that they are organized, ask them how.

Hire for Fit, Then for Skill

It is easier to teach skills rather than try to have someone fit within your culture who is not a good match.

Be Honest

Honesty is the best policy – this also applies to interviewing. It is best to accurately describe the position and the company. Let the candidate know all the good things about working for your company and also talk to them about the not-so-good things. Ensure there are no surprises if they were to accept the job.

Adopt a ‘Friday Rule’

Consistent communication to candidates is an excellent practice to get into. At Jouta, we have a ‘Friday Rule’ where we call every candidate who we have interviewed each Friday to update them on the status of the recruiting process. Tell the ‘no’s’ that they are not being considered and tell the ‘maybe’s’ what the status is. If you don’t know, then you can even say that. The purpose is to keep communication open and to ensure candidates are not wondering over the weekend what’s going on.

In today’s competitive workforce, it is more important than ever to treat candidates with respect. Happy Recruiting!