Despite an economic slowdown and widespread layoffs, companies cannot afford to lose the talent war. In a knowledge-based, talent-centric global economy driven by ideas, the company with the best talent wins. Period. Jettisoning employees in financial tough times can very well result in losing industrious producers, top talent, longtime workers, and top managers. Such shortsightedness can be costly on many fronts. The cost of recruiting talented workers typically runs 70-200% of their annual salaries. A loss of sales staff can hurt a company's bottom line. Lose productive people and the customer might be penalized. And the resulting morale decline can take a toll on employee engagement-being fully connected with producing great results for an organization. A company doesn't make profits. People do. So here's the operative question: are job eliminations, workforce realignments strategically driven, designed to foster long-term growth? Do these practices allow organizations to reposition themselves competitively and take advantage of new opportunities? If so, than this is the message that must be spoken, written, lived from the top down. And retention-re-engagement-efforts become imperative. It's too late to undo the layoffs that have already happened. Let's focus on how to rebuild the broken communities that are left behind.

What does the implosion of the subprime market, the Madoff Ponzi scheme, and the TARP bailout of the banks all have in common? ANSWER: No one asked the “dumb questions” that might have prevented disaster or—in the case of some banks—a refusal to reveal just where the money has gone. Think about it: What would have happened if borrowers asked “Exactly what happens when the rates go up and how much will I owe?” What if the investors with Madoff had asked, “Just how are you able to get such returns? Can you tell me specifically the areas you invest in?” Of course, rumor has it that Madoff threw out people who questioned him. Hey—when you sit like a god no one bothers to look at the throne made of smoke. And how about Congress? Where were their questions? Such questions might have been: “Just what guarantees will you create to hold the recipients accountable for performance with the monies? What shall we do to hold the Treasury responsible and what will we establish as immediate and daily oversight?” Here’s the point. The world has become so filled with jargon and complexity that it is very difficult to even grasp exactly what is happening. And because it is so complex, we’re often afraid to let our confusion show. We assume that other people understand and we don’t. So we nod our heads as if we understand the term “derivative”. We nod our head when we hear of a plan for building roads and schools as a solution to unemployment without realizing that much of our employment base runs on the use of intellectual capital instead of heavy machinery. Question: “What is the plan for creating jobs in this sector?” The value of seemingly “dumb” questions is that it makes everyone stop and think. It invites the deeper exploration. At the very least, it educates the questioner and at best, it can reveal fallacies in logic and action. But “dumb” questions also require courage. People get rude, defensive and even hostile when challenged. To deflect these behaviors, allow the question to be something that indicates you need assistance. “I guess I must be slow but could you please explain…” or “I hear what you are saying but I am having a hard time following. Please outline…” When we cast ourselves as being “dumb” through smart-as-fox questions, we might do everything from forestalling a bad decision to creating a far more appropriate plan of action. That means that “dumb” could very well be the new SMART.

Novations Group, a global professional services firm, recently released the results of communications survey. The information deeply supports why many organizations are buying one of my newer books, "Talk Ain't Cheap... It’s Priceless!". See if this does not ring true in your experience: They rely too much on e-mail and have little face-to-face time with employees. E-mail is a dangerous tool if overused. It runs the risk of being misunderstood, ignored, or in some cases, inflammatory. Often e-mail is without context and precious time evaporates in an electronic back-and-forth. They assume a single message is enough. Recall Advertising 101. It takes at least three times for a message to penetrate. Different people receive messages differently. Some prefer to hear a message while others lean toward the written word. They have no feedback loop in place. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. However, whether knowingly or unknowingly, senior managers might dismiss or not encourage feedback on communication. Their messages lack clarity. Mark Twain once said, “Pardon the long letter. I didn’t have time for a short one.” This great author knew that clarity and brevity take time and skill. The more one is an “expert”, the greater is the chance that what is clear to an experienced mind is simply muddy and confusing to others. Take the time. There are many of us who can help managers develop the skill.

It's not my imagination: we've become far too accepting of jerks at work. Bullying behavior is on the rise and it's not just on playground—but in work places. Look around. Have you noticed some certifiable jerks? These are folks who constantly demean, ridicule, put down, or purposely ignore those with less "power" than they have. And it's tolerated. One health care organization told me of a physician who regularly, verbally assaults nurses and interns. A vice president in a development company uses the silent treatment as a way of telling an employee that she's a non-entity, even going so far as to threaten staff if they speak to this employee! A law firm keeps a rain maker despite the fact he eats colleagues and administrative assistants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We've made heroes of other jerks—even tolerating jerk-like behavior in some folks who represent the United States. Sadly, behavior ignored is behavior endorsed. Complacency equals complicity. The organization and its leaders develop a reputation for arrogance and insensitivity. It makes little sense. Getting and keeping good talent is one of the top two worries of CEOs. Who wants to work with jerks? Research also indicates that performance and productivity actually increase when jerks are eliminated. Here’s where to start: Create a NO JERK rule and mean it. Confront jerk behavior as soon as it happens. Train everyone how to identify jerk behavior and how to react, respond, and report. Look yourself in the eye and ask for honest feedback. We all carry some of the jerk gene inside of us.

Words are self-fulfilling prophecies. Retreat from the market. Fire a boat load of folks. Horde cash in your mattress. And then, go sit in the corner with a pillow over your head. I don’t know about you, but I think practicality mixed with wisdom should be more the order of the day. Start by a very practical evaluation of just HOW you work and what you produce. What are value-added activities rather than mere niceties or outmoded ways of doing things? Remember that when the market turns around—and it will—you want the best and the brightest at your side. You want customers who have stayed because together you found ways to link hands and make it through this rough water. Crisis can give rise to innovation, to new alliances, and to an honest assessment of just what matters. It’s all in how you look at it.

Despite an economic slowdown and widespread layoffs, companies cannot afford to lose the talent war. In a knowledge-based, talent-centric global economy driven by ideas, the company with the best talent wins. Period. Jettisoning employees in financial tough times can very well result in losing industrious producers, top talent, longtime workers, and top managers. Such shortsightedness can be costly on many fronts. The cost of recruiting talented workers typically runs 70-200% of their annual salaries. A loss of sales staff can hurt a company's bottom line. Loose productive people and the customer might be penalized. And the resulting morale decline can take a toll on employee engagement-being fully connected with producing great results for an organization. A company doesn't make profits. People do. So here's the operative question: are job eliminations, workforce realignments strategically driven, designed to foster long-term growth? Do these practices allow organizations to reposition themselves competitively and take advantage of new opportunities? If so, then this is the message that must be spoken, written, lived from the top down. And retention-re-engagement- efforts become imperative. It's too late to undo the layoffs that have already happened. Let's focus on how to rebuild the broken communities that are left behind.

Human Resource Magazine reported some time ago a direct correlation between business benefits of work & family programs and increased customer retention. First Tennessee Bank surveyed employees and customers at their branches and found that by meeting employees' needs, it encouraged employees in turn to provide more value to the customers. To assure the effectiveness of work/life programs, address issues with a systemic culture-change focus rather than as a benefit. Examine traditional assumptions such as: hours worked are the only indicator of commitment and productivity; part-time workers aren't as committed; single people can give more time to work; men have at-home wives; numbers of meetings attended equate to how you value the company. Involve everyone in the organization. Management might change the assumptions but a co-worker could hold that a part-time peer is "shirking". Examine workflow. Does the system reward people for working all night, even though the rest of the workweek suffers from sleep deprivation?? If work is cyclical, can there be flexibility built into the schedule? Can work be realigned to accommodate a task that needs uninterrupted, focused time? Something to consider.

In the winter of 2005, intense storms lashed Southern California, pouring record levels of rain into catch basins, along normally dry creek beds, and across the driest, most barren place in North America, Death Valley. Following the wettest period since record keeping in 1911, this forbidden wilderness became festooned with bright yellow, pink, white and deep purple blossoms. The rain fell gently into the salt-crusted soil, washing off the waxy protective coating from millions of seeds that had lain dormant for years in ground where temperatures zoom as high as 200 degrees. Flying into this multihued panorama hovered the Sphinz moth, a pollinating marvel the size of a hummingbird. Death Valley became the Garden of Eden. Have you ever encountered someone whose persona resembled Death Valley: dry, impenetrable, rigid, without the moisture of a smile or the glimmer of optimism? Perhaps someone like Mary Ellen? If you watched Mary Ellen walk into a room, you almost saw the dust fly off her mouth if it cracked in an unaccustomed smile. Her shoulders hunched forward and to most ears, the tone of her voice alternated between hostile and imperious. Few people wanted to be around her. Too bad. She had a crackerjack mind that remembered facts and figures better than a data base. Her command of language startled even the most educated and her creative eye rendered solutions for the architectural firm. It’s just that no one wanted her dealing with clients. Too abrasive. Larry decided to “spread some rain”. He began by asking her questions about how she developed an interest in architecture and design. He discovered it was her way of trying to connect with a father who built houses and who also ignored her. Like the Death Valley seeds, he realized she had erected a protective shield as a result of past hurts, insecurity, perceived indifference or disdain of others. He shared a little about his family. She opened up again. Then he risked even more. He pointed out the positive strengths she brought to the firm. Kindly but firmly, he talked about her blind spot. He told her that he KNEW she had no idea how she was coming across and that he believed she was better than that. Larry spread some rain. She blossomed. Oh not all at once, but slowly the firm saw some shifts. She started to even wear brighter colors. You might say she began flowering. All because someone saw in her some internal loveliness that she didn’t see for herself.

Ten year old Beloved Jefeti of Zimbabwe mistakenly thought a land mine he found was a transistor radio and put it in his mouth for better reception. He survived the resulting explosion but his face did not. Zimbabwe doctors put him back together as best as he could but he spent the next few years being called a monster because his face was unrecognizable. He dropped out of school and became home bound. Enter Operation of Hope located in Lake Forest, California visited the village where Beloved lived and he had the courage to ask for help A year later he was flown to the U.S. for surgery at UCLA. There were many road blocks to overcome regarding funding but the executive director of Operation Hope, Jennifer Trubenbach, borrowed money from a friend and took out a second mortgage on her house to pay her back. Beloved is now 17 years old and about six feet tall. He is attending school at a third grade level to get caught up with his education and he lives with a local host family. He visited his home village this past April with Trubenbach and returned to the U.S. in May. He hopes to continue his education here where he is happy and people respect and admire him. He was featured in the Orange County Register and the September 22nd issue of People Magazine. Here's to Beloved... a child branded a monster who had the courage to ask for help and here's to Jennifer Trubenbach and Operation of Hope for going above and beyond the average charity by personally giving Beloved a new face and a future. How could you reach out today to a child who needs your help?

From the second-story flagstone porch, I see “my” mountain. It’s small by mountain standards: just a 4.5-mile trail from sea level to the top where a ridgeline serves as a spine along the Santa Barbara coast. Every time I come to my retreat center, climbing the ridge has been my tradition. Some 12 years’ of a tradition. It takes a good four hours and along the way, I have plenty of time to think, observe, and just plain breathe. It’s a lonely trail: steep, heavily wooded, overgrown with bushes, and so very hot. But the view from the top is worth it. The three-days of subsequent muscle pain in my legs also assuages any guilt for remaining mostly sedentary for the rest of the time. Alas. This year, large posters placed at the trailhead warn of mountain lions within the area. Aggressive mountain lions have moved south since fires in Goleta destroyed their habitat. “Don’t hike alone. Have rocks in your pockets. Don’t run.”Are they nuts? No one is here to hike with me. Rocks in my pockets? Like I can hike with brick-size stones? Don’t run? Good luck. The warning continues: “They attack mostly from behind. Don’t take animals or children.” Great. The trail is narrow with blind corners. I can’t see ahead or behind me. At my size, I’d qualify as cat food. OK. I now have power walks and daily runs along the winding roads of Montecito. It’s not the same. That’s good. Time for me to break patterns. What a great metaphor for this time in my life, our workplaces, and our world. Maybe it is time to change: To sleep on a porch instead of a luxurious bedroom. To share a bathroom. To discover how little I really need and to be grateful in that revelation. Besides, I will find other mountains to explore. What change are you confronting?

Economic meltdown. Global turmoil. Politicians using fear-laced words to rouse the lowest common denominator of voters. And the beat goes on. It’s enough to make you crazy, anxious, afraid and paralyzed. That helps nothing! I’ve stopped looking at my investment account. With deliberation, I’ve moved what I can, eliminated what expenses I can and now—it’s back to business. Hand wringing and catastrophizing do nothing. I’ve written letters to newspapers, business journals, and Congress regarding my views on bailouts, corporate malfeasance/greed, offshore tax shelters for military contractors, and my belief that adding up negative numbers will never produce a positive. (Duh—just ask a 5th grader!) Global turmoil? Nothing I can control here. Let it go. Fear-mongering? As a word merchant, I know that a simple word, given the right inflection and the right innuendo can stir up emotions. Claude Pepper, in a long-forgotten race for the Florida Senate, did just that in a rather uneducated part of the Sunshine State. He accused his opponent of practicing monogamy. He stated that his opponent’s sister was a known thespian in wicked New York City. Furthermore, his opponent was a devoted bibliophile. If you’re gasping in horror at these words - go use the dictionary. They are all positive words!!! So what can I control here? First—I need to listen carefully. I can alert my readers and my audiences to think and do the same. Insist that candidates focus on issues, real problems, and potential but-not-set-in-stone solutions. And lastly—vote! It’s the most precious way to control what we can. What can YOU control? P.S. It would also be helpful to insist that we abandon the Electoral College as an outmoded institution born early in our nation’s history.

George Elton Mayo (1880-1949) worked for the Hawthorne Works of General Electric Company. He managed human behavior experiments between 1924 and 1927 and is widely considered to be the creator of the human relations movement. Mayo reached certain conclusions and has been widely quoted and published. He discovered: That work is a group activity. The social world of the adult is primarily patterned about work activity. The need for recognition, security and sense of belonging is more important in determining workers' morale and productivity than the physical conditions under which he works. A complaint is not necessarily an objective recital of facts; it is commonly a symptom manifesting disturbance of an individual's status position. The worker is a person whose attitudes and effectiveness are conditioned by social demands from both inside and outside the work plant. Informal groups within the work plant exercise strong social controls over the work habits and attitudes of the individual worker. The change from an established society in the home to an adaptive society in the work plant resulting from the use of new techniques tends continually to disrupt the social organization of a work plant and industry generally. Group collaboration does not occur by accident; it must be planned and developed. If group collaboration is achieved the human relations within a work plant may reach a cohesion which resists the disrupting effects of adaptive society. Although you may not agree with all of his conclusions you can clearly see a pattern of importance regarding communication. Communications and teamwork greatly enhances work satisfaction and employee retention. If you would like to know how to increase effective communications in your workplace consider reading my book Talk A'int Cheap...It's Priceless. If you would like to purchase books for all of your employees call me at 949-637-4233.