From Yahoo Finance… “Chartr” media 5-31-2023
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Great Stock Market Chart…
Category: Uncategorized
A few different “takes” on employee retention!
There is a lot “out there” about what it takes to retain employees; an especially challenging job in these times when the country is dotted with help wanted signs and incentives offered as part of recruiting packages.
If you are leading an organization, or are otherwise in a position of influence in the company, here is another “entry” on why employees “jump ship”. It is always good to keep this in front of the organizations managers and supervisors. Their attitude toward retention, and their related behavior, speaks to the quality of company culture and that is everything! That is the difference in retaining talent, and not.
This was published recently by Fast Company Magazine… I found a few different “takes” in this.
“Seven mistakes organizations make that cause employees to quit.”
“The decision to leave an organization doesn’t just happen overnight.”
Here is a summary:
- Lack of Appreciation
- Unfairness and favoritism
- Allowing no autonomy over one’s work
- Showing no interest in employees’ passions
- One-size-fits-all staff appreciation
- A lack of meaning
- A lack of fun and play
About the author
Harvey Deutschendorf is an emotional intelligence expert, author and speaker. To take the EI Quiz go to theotherkindofsmart.com
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Thoughts on bell shaped curves and charting
Bell shaped curves can be applied to data on an almost infinite number of subjects.
In the example below, the curve displays an example of employee performance; where the vertical axis is the number of employees, the horizontal axis performance levels or ratings.
Bell shaped curves only work if the data sample or universe is sufficiently large. In the case of employee performance, it likely would not work work for a group of 20 employees, but probably would work for 100 employees.
More to the point, it can be informative and assist with decision making if you considered the curve for data like:
- Doctors ratings for a certain specialties
- Automotive quality ratings
- Employee performance
- Data on consumer products
- Investment performance
- Technical data analysis
- There are almost an infinite number of examples
Curves are useful as they tell the user on what data groupings to focus on to move the data/distribution in a favorable direction.
In the example of employee performance, if some of the population in the “meets expectations” or “below exceptions” groupings on the graph could be moved to the right then one might assume that with this improvement, business performance may improve as well.
Charts and graphs and numbers are the language of business. Notwithstanding the type of business, numbers and their graphical representation, assuming the data is accurate, tell the story of how well the business is performing and of equal importance, the performance of the leadership team.
Skills in graphical presentation are particularly important to support functions (HR, purchasing, IT, etc.) as they can be persuasive in supporting recommendations to operating executives.
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A letter to the Chairwoman, Republican National Committee
Just received a Republican Congressional District Questionnaire. It was so biased, unbalanced, and pathetic, I had to send it to the Republican National Committee Chairwoman with the following letter.
Chairwoman, Republican National Committee August 16, 2022
Ronna R. McDaniel. Chairwoman
310 First Street, SE.
Washington, DC 20003.
Re: August 2202 Republican Party Congressional District Canvas
Dear Chairwoman
The canvas cover letter starts with “Stopping Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Radical Democrats…” Well, that statement plainly speaks to its all about the party not the country. The two parties are so divided it’s now just all about “stopping” the other. And you wonder why the country is divided.
And the cover letter asks me for money to help ensure fair elections. We’ll, prior to the Trump Administration, the country never heard about unfair elections. So what happened Republicans? Maybe bad leadership? Leadership that led to January 6th? Leadership that divided the country like it has not been divided in decades?
And the cover letter also includes a questionnaire that asks me questions like:
- Is the country going in the right direction
- Concern about Biden and the Democrats
- Media related questions: Oligarchs, media suppression
- Immigration, abortion, military spending, policy funding
- Top issues and you want me to pick top five of a list of 20
- Many questions you ask about Biden hoping us “good” Republicans will condemn him on most
If you were connected to the country’s citizenry, you would know the answers to these questions. Most of the citizenry is boiling with disgust with “DC”. I’m not listing all 44 questions. The country is a mess and it is that way as you guys on both sides of the isle can’t manage the country and the special interests that drive it.
About you Republicans and Trump: He’s not a leader, he can’t pick talent, he fired most of his hires, he’s a micro manager, he lies, he’s dishonest, it is all about him … plainly one ugly human being. And the majority of you guys don’t have the courage to stand as leaders and tell him to stick it. If you owned a business in the private sector would you hire Trump as one of your reporting executives, based on his record to date? The only reason he’s not in prison is he has teams of attorneys holding authorities at bay. If a private citizen did what Trump did the private citizen would be serving many consecutive life sentences.
I’m changing my voter registration to Independent as I no longer want to receive these self-serving, biased, unbalanced communications from the party, nor do I want to be associated with it.
For the record, I don’t vote for a party, I research candidates and vote for the best qualified that has the judgment and balance to address the critical issues in the country. Unfortunately, most candidates are consumed by the party.
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Saying goodbye to Shelby
After 15 years we had to put our dog, Shelby, down due to hind quarter hip failure… common on big dogs. She had the best of care over the years, was loved by friends and family. The vets staff was so kind when we put her down (December 16, 2022) . Even the vets boarding staff came to see her as the final injections ended our Labradoodle’s life.
It was time for her as her arthritis had gotten the best of her and the quality of her life was at the point where there was no other decision to make.
She could catch a tennis ball at 20 yards, like most was a beggar when food was around, enjoyed peanuts and snacks and a little beer (all in moderation) in the man cave, and like most well cared for dogs, gave back more then anyone ever gave her.
Much to my wife’s dismay, I always said the beer and peanuts were the key to her very long life.
The grief associated with this is awful, losing a “family member” for after 15 years… I’m 75 and the time with her amounted to 20% of my life.
I read that writing about this helped with the grieving process so I did this log entry.
…just working through it…
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Moving
No, this is not a “Moving” post in the sense that it will stir some kind of emotion(s).
We are moving from an apartment to a house so this blogger is taking a temporary break from posting. Later!
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Two Wolves…who wins?
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is evil. It is fear, anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, competition, and ego.”
“The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, sharing, kindness, respect, compassion, and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
–Author unknown–
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Looking for a job/position…
Here is the list of the top “searched for” from Fast Company Magazine, as of 8.25.22
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A Chance to be famous…
Scientists are asking the public to name 20 exoplanetary systems observed by the Webb telescope. Here’s how to submit your idea.
Know that you will need a team to participate. The website below explains the rules and guidelines.
The International Astronomical Union, the organization in charge of naming celestial objects, is launching the NameExoWorlds 2022 Competition to give the public a chance to christen some of the first exoplanetary systems to be seen by the telescope.
Know that the IAU wants this to be a collaborative affair, so participants must create a team composed of teachers, students, astronomy enthusiasts, or professional or amateur astronomists.
A chance to be famous forever….
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Gen Z isn’t looking for a dream job. This from a CEO’s experience, Paul Hudson is the CEO of Sanofi.
Born as digital natives with personal agency and facing a labor shortage, record class stratification, and untenable living costs, Gen Z has significantly shifted their concept of a career.
Top-tier talent is saying: “I’ll bring from day one my experiences, and I’ll help you be a better company. But I will leave at some point, and you should not be concerned by that. I will leave it better than I found it, but I will also leave better than I arrived.”
Employees want to feel like they are working for a company that aligns with their values and brings real breakthroughs to the populations it serves. Gen Z ethos of values, work-life balance, questioning the status quo, and seeking fulfillment and worth.
Gen Z, millennials, and others are demanding more from their employers: They want transparency, respect, empathy, sustainability, and support for continued growth and development.* They also expect real action from leadership on diversity and inclusion. This is the most diverse generation thus far in the United States, with only 52% identifying as white non-Hispanic, and 99% of those surveyed by Tallo rating workplace DEI as important.
There are four things business leaders at all levels need to keep in focus when encouraging their Gen Z employees:
Communicate early and often
Provide stretch assignments
Use automation and AI to support growth**
Create a listening culture
From this blogger’s experience, communications, stretch assignments, and listening are foundation blocks of great leadership, not new to the conversation; not to say those things are in the majority of many leader’s methodology. And automation and meaningful use of AI certainly can enhance challenging assignments, and professional experience and contribution.
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* Describes a work environment sought after by those with ambition, talent, and runway. Not so new.
** Instead of having someone crunch numbers in an Excel grid, it’s better to designate that task for AI so the employee can spend more drawing insights from the data and creating solutions instead of handling menial, repetitive tasks.
Success & Excess 