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Update From Eileen

It's the first day of Autumn and we're having the summer weather we never had in 2004 Southern California. Hot Santa Ana winds fiercely blanket the air in fine dust and a blanket of brown smog hangs like a monk's robe over distant Catalina Island. Nothing is as it should be.

Sounds rather like the world these days.

I find myself amazed at the record string of hurricanes parading in fast succession up the Eastern United States, punishing anyone and everything in their path. The FEMA volunteers are worn out from too much to do in too little time. And the storms still come. Nothing is as it should be. Would that it was only weather that is out-of whack.

I am amazed that Donald Trump is heralded as an icon of leadership, teaching want-to-be apprentices that conniving, manipulation, good looks, and aggression are the ways to get ahead in the business world. How did this farce become accepted as "truth"? Nothing is as it should be.

Tacoma, Washington just banned recess in elementary schools, declaring that the extra instructional time was needed to prepare the children to compete in a global society. Tacoma is not alone, sadly. According to Newsweek, experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of the nation's elementary schools have dropped recess in favor of extra classroom time. Have we become so competitively NUTS that our children can not even have 15 minutes to play? Nothing is as it should be.

How can Monica Lewinsky get a talk show and Paris Hilton rise to stardom doing nothing but displaying enormously bad taste and crude behavior amid the rich and famous? Nothing is as it should be. And the list goes on.

What should it be: a bounty of people and resources to help in disasters, compassionate, skilled leadership, common sense, intelligence, decency, and honest-to-goodness truth- telling. I am convinced we all KNOW better. Too many emperors have NO clothes. It's time to let the leaves fall from our eyes, to see things in their true colors, to gather strength in what looks like winter, and then spring forth with new ideas and actions. I want to reclaim what "should" be! How about you?

Top Training Priorities For 2004

Training Magazine reports that softskills trainings ranks near the top of priorities. In short, such topics as leadership, management and interpersonal skills are not just "nice-to- have" but are fundamental business goals. Duke Energy which employs 23,000, views softskills training as one of the primary components of the organization's overall ability to succeed in a competitive, rapidly changing environment.

This is the news that prompted the addition of online assessments to our web site: http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/shop_online_assessments.html. Discover your strengths and growth points in interpersonal skill development with the Personal Profile System. Find out how to reclaim control over your time with the Time Mastery Profile. And when the reports are completed, I'll give you free coaching for 15 minutes in how to put the findings into practical use.

Energizing Performance for Low-Wage Employees

Some companies, including Sprint, Eddie Bauer, Bank of America, Xerox and Marriott have decided their low-wage employees don't have to be disposable and are using drivers such as performance bonuses, child care or educational opportunities to increase loyalty and save on hiring and retention.

With one in four workers earning $18,800 a year, thereby qualifying as "working poor" and with more than half of U.S. workers earning $25,000 or less annually, actions to improve retention and engagement among low-wage workers can have far reaching impacts for an employer.

Some of the actions include training, English- language instruction, literacy classes, and free or subsidized child care.

Flex Schedules Result in Productivity Increase

According to an emerging work force study by Florida recruitment agency Spherion, the vast majority (86%) of workers say work/life balance is their No. 1 career priority, and flexible schedules are the work/life benefit they are most likely to use, with an amazing 75% saying "...they are willing to put their careers on the back burner to make time for family..." Only 35% of survey respondents said that being successful and moving up the ladder were their primary goals.

Over half of the companies in the U.S. are now offering flexible work schedules in reaction to the finding that they indeed increase productivity and retention. Unfortunately, an April 2004 study by the Families and Work Institute reports that nearly 40% of workers say that individuals who use these work options are penalized with wage gaps, fewer raises and less promotions.

Companies that deny or penalize flexibility will find themselves short of valuable employees as professional women with families, and a growing number of men, leave their jobs rather than compromise their families' well-being. Pending labor shortages make this a less-than-brilliant company practice.

For more information about family-friendly policies, go to http://www.familiesandwork.org

Must Read Books

The Way of Art, Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steve Pressfield (2002, Warner Books, ISBN 0446691437). This tiny book packs a wallop—like a good swift kick in the posterior. I found myself underlining something in every chapter. He blasts through all the reasons we don't do that which is our purpose-our calling-our creative best self. I found myself (sadly) on too many pages. SO be warned-I have no more excuses. The next book written by me IS being born.

Second Innocence, Rediscovering Joy and Wonder by John Izzo (2004, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, ISBN 1576752631). If The War Of Art is your kickstart, this book moves you down the road for renewing yourself in work and daily life. As we age, it's so easy to lose that innocence that allows us to see possibilities for ourselves and others. John gives the reader a guidebook for the journey with a writing style that is at once intimate and intelligent. Izzo is also the author of another favorite book: Awakening the Corporate Soul. Read both and you'll be ahead of the game.

Bet You Didn't Know These Facts

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. (SO who stopped and counted?)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. (WHY?)

A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. (Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Too bad.)

A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. (Life is short and sweet.)

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (Reminds me of some folks I know.)

An Amazing Statistic—From Wal-Mart

"Between 600,000 and 700,000 associates walk out the door at Wal-Mart each year. At $2,379 per hire, that's $1.4 billion each year that Wal-Mart spends on replacing employees."
—Workforce Magazine, February 2004

Welcome To The McDargh Clan

Schering-Plough
Farmers Insurance (for the 5th or 6th time)
Cleveland Regional Hospital
Bench International

Pass Along The Newsletter—FREE

A couple of clients posed this question to me: "Eileen, how can we get your newsletter in the hands of our employees and management team?"

Great question! Here's the answer. You can send out an e-mail blast, asking if they'd like to receive a BRIEF, practical yet fun e-newsletter four times a year. If they say yes, just have them go to http://www.eileenmcdargh.com and viola! Thanks for asking!

Subscription Management:

You can now manage your subscription to The Energizer on the web! Just e-mail us at eileen@eileenmcdargh.com and let us know what you need. All new subscriptions are by e-mail only.

MISSION STATEMENT

McDargh Enterprises—Energizing the Human Spirit since 1980

Our mission is to transform the life of work and the work of your life.

We work with and speak for organizations that want people to create meaningful relationships with all their stakeholders and to develop a resilient leadership capacity for living a life of balance, engagement, productivity, and meaning in a changing world. We value laughter, life-long learning, and leadership through service.

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Testimonials

"Well, Eileen, it took a few years for us to get together, but it wasn't right until it happened and when it did, it was so right. We hope that you had a great time. We would love to have you come back again the in the future.

- Central California Women's Conference