Saturday, July 31, 2010

Help Congress Help

Recently President Obama signed an extension for unemployment benefits. Some members of Congress voiced their concern that some unemployed people might be taking advantage of the system and not actually looking for work. I recently saw a statistic that  unemployed folks ages 46 to 50 average 14 months in transition between jobs. People ages 56 to 60 averaged  an even longer 22 months between jobs. These are averages, so some people will experience a far longer time without gainful employment.

I know too many people that want to be working and cannot find a job. Many don’t have any unemployment benefits to help support their basic living expenses while looking for work. They are forced to “dip” into their IRAs and 401Ks in order to make ends meet. These folks have cut back to the barest minimum and are forced to take money out of their retirement. On top of this, they’re slapped with a 10% penalty when they can least afford it.

I commend Congress for helping many by doling out money from working tax payers. Another opportunity to help even more people with little cost to the tax payer would be to withdraw the 10% penalty for deserving long term unemployed people. This penalty was meant as a deterrent, but is now a burden on people with fading hope and burdened with mounting bills and living expenses.

I suggested this idea to my congresswomen in 2003 where I received no response to my letter or emails.  Maybe instead of "talking" about  jobs being her number one concern, Congress could create legislation to ease hardworking people’s burden by allowing them access to savings without an additional 10% punishment.

If you agree, call your Representative in Congress and remind them the unemployed are people. Let your Senator know that they need to support this kind of no nonsense legislation. Let our elected officials know that 15 million people in job transition this is a voting block too big to ignore in 2010.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Accountability Groups Findings

   Over the summer I did some observing of groups reporting to be accountability groups. This wasn’t  a long, controlled research project... I just went around to check out six different Networking Accountability Groups and I learned a lot.

   I met with six groups in Chicago’s western suburbs. The largest group had eight members and the smallest had three. (This group just had two members land job and hadn’t replaced them during the time of my visits.) The average size of a group was five.

   Only one of the meetings I attended began on time. Most of the groups had 100% attendance with phone calls to alert the group if someone was going to be absent. Most meetings lasted between an hour and 90 minutes. Most of the groups have been meeting for over a year with the newest group meeting for less that six months.
 
   Every group but the newest saw some level of success. One group measured and track members status and they had high turnover in their group. Turnover is defined as members who find full time regular or contract work and no longer meet with the group. AKA: Success!

   While these observations only produced anecdotal data, there are some conclusions that are somewhat obvious. Most of the groups I observed would more correctly be called “Support Groups” rather than accountability groups because they are run in a very relaxed manner. Most groups meeting are made up of people reporting their status in an ad hoc manner and many of the folks never mention to the group what their goals are for the next week.

Other observations:

  • Groups focus on the meeting and not on one another’s accomplishments for the week
  • Groups pass leads among one another which became the goal of the meeting
  • All groups had a non elected but clear leader instead of the leadership role being shared
  • Groups were relaxed without a formal agenda
  • One group used the “St. Hubert’s Accountability Check List” by its members
  • No group collected and shared accountability data with the group members

I would suggest the following for all groups.

  1. Increase the level of commitment from members
  2. Have a formal contract to help create a more “business like” atmosphere
  3. Set meeting start & stop times and agenda
  4. Focus on members’ activity and accomplishments in their job search
  5. Select and use an “Accountability Check List” -- see Google Docs Forms
  6. Collect and report on members activity and accomplishments using a spreadsheet

Be accountable and succeed!
In theory, all the members of the group are looking for full time work. They all have the same goal and in times of weakness the members need to count on the group to fill the role of the boss or customer holding the expectation that the member will deliver what was promised. It's kind of silly that human beings will quit on themselves but not quit on a commitment they made to a group or even one other person. This is the power of an accountability group to give it's members the motivation to do the hard work of job search. So when the group holds it members accountability in a safe and honest manner, everyone wins.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Career Changers: Consider Temp to Perm

   Career changing is difficult for those of us who have done the same thing for a long time. Recently, a friend pondered that the reason we don’t like change is because we lose the illusion that we are in control. Things are new and we don’t know our way around. This causes anxiety and stress. Changing jobs, especially careers, is indeed very stressful. Even if we hate what we are doing or have been released from our previous job, making a career change does not make most people’s top ten list of  favorite things to do.

   Put your toe in the water first before you jump into the deep end of the pool. Many companies do this. They hire people on a temporary basis and then evaluate them before offering them a full time position. The same can work for the career changer.

   As a temp, you may realize that you love the work but not the company. This is another plus for the Temp to Perm argument of career changing. You’ll quickly learn the company culture and values. If it is not a fit for you,  you’re building experience while keeping your eyes open for a better opportunity at a better company.

   The difficulty for some people is taking a lower pay as they break into a new career. Starting out as a temp can mitigate this risk. I have found that salary is more important if people don’t like or enjoy their work.  In other words, if people love what they do and who they do it with, their salary is never a problem as long as their basic expenses are covered. By starting out as a temp, the career changer can evaluate their appreciation of the job and get a feeling if they can make the salary  work in their lives.

   Finally as a temp, age, gender or other so-called limitations (excuses for not hiring a qualified candidate) go away. When employers see that your transferable skills are what make you stand out over less experienced candidates, the “limitations’ fall to the wayside. Remember that those conditions are only there because they don’t know the true value you present by looking at a resume. A real person with a positive attitude, who is producing and solving problems leaves little doubt to their ability to aid in the company’s success.

   If your pondering a change in careers think seriously about starting in a temporary job and growing from there. It’s like a long interview where you can prove yourself and evaluate the career and company at the same time. It has worked for many career changers and it can work for you.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

How do accountability groups hold you accountable?

   The short answer is that they don’t; you have to hold yourself accountable first. Accountability groups help its members hold themselves accountable. It’s important to know what the group can help you with. You need to know how to utilize the power of such a group.  The group can...


... offer support and comradeship during a difficult time
If you are a small business owner who doesn’t like sales or a job seeker looking for the next opportunity you are basically on your own. If you succeed or fail you have no one to answer to, except yourself. Frankly this is lonely.  It is difficult to do sales or a job search and experience rejection with no support system. If you have a group who is going through the same kind of experiences you feel less alone. And you can pump one another up from time to time. While you are still on your own, you not all alone.

... clarify your goals and help you to stay focused
When you are on your own as either a job seeker or as an entrepreneur you are alone. If you were working in a job with peers and colleagues around, you can bounce ideas off people. As a single force in the world, having a group to bounce ideas off of can help in qualifying and quantifying your goals. With an accountability group to check in with, a conflicting goal or action can be identified and put into check; allowing you to remain focused on key goals and actions. If a goal is too big and requires a mini goals to be identified a group can point this out to you.

... provide some motivation to meet goals
Many of us are too easy on ourselves and accept our own rationalizations without question. The accountability group is a place to announce your goals and then report your status. Telling someone makes the goal real. Putting a date to a goal gives it a sense of urgency. When you’ve communicated the goal with a date to a group you’re more motivated to make the goal happen. Most of us hate to tell someone that we didn’t do what we said we would do. Also when you don’t feel like doing what you need to, having a group to report to gives you a proper kick to do it anyway.

   With the support and backing of a group of people who have made a commitment to aid in each other’s success by holding one another accountability -- you can achieve you sales or job seeking goals. The commitment is key. Each member needs to commit to personal responsibility, to attend meetings regularly, to ask questions of the other group members--even tough questions, and to expect one another to do the same for you and the group.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Accountability Groups? What?

   I was talking to a group of folks at a local chamber of commerce and one person asked, “I keep hearing about accountability groups, what are they?” It really is a great question. Many of us used them in college except we called them study groups. The objective of the group was to divvy up the work into manageable pieces so that each member of the group would be accountable for one part. Each member would do all the reading and research and then bring the results back to the group. There was an implied contract that each member would do their very best with their portion of the assignment or syllabus and the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. 

   The purpose of an accountability group is that each member could achieve more than they would with a solo effort. If your are a business owner and part of your job includes sales as well as providing the service that is your business, what can you do to help yourself? One answer is to join a “Leads Group” where you bring leads to the group and others do the same, and by sharing qualified leads you all have more sales. Many sales people and business owners use this type of accountability group to achieve success.

   Years ago, when I was starting a small information technology business I banded together with two other entrepreneurs for support and accountability. In this situation we would provide our plans for the quarter, month and week ahead to the group. The others would comment and ask questions to help clarify the plan. Then each week we would report our status against the plan to the group and receive appropriate feedback and then act accordingly. So if I was having problems with sales I would state a sales goal and as a group come up with the steps to achieve the goal. We’d iron out the number of phone calls a day and face to face sales meeting per week. After some time the group would challenge me to raise the sales goal and increase the percentage of calls that resulted in sales. It is a great way to motivate yourself when you are a sole business owner.
 
   People who are in job transition and looking for a new job can use this model too. Putting together a group of 6 to 8 people from different industries or different roles within an industry provides a sense of camaraderie and support to its members. They can state their weekly goals and report the past week’s activity including successes and get  feedback. If a member has a blind spot in their job search, the group can provide constructive observations for the member. If a member has a struggle with their search the group offers a safe place to voice fears or challenges. 

  I have seen the use of accountability groups change lives. Whether you are looking for new sales or a new job, having a group to support, challenge, and provide advice to you will make a positive difference in you career... Now, go and be accountable.