The Value of Your "Good Name"

Just a quick thought today. I am excited that so many young African American professionals are striving to start their own businesses, have their sights on the top executive suites in business, government, entertainment and industry. But like the old-timers in my hometown of Princeton, NJ used to tell me, one of the most important qualities you can have as a successful professional is a good name.

Many people have attended great universities, hold influential titles and positions, live in prestigious neighborhoods, drive luxury cars, have all the new technical toys, and a large national and even global following, but none of these should ever be confused with having a good name.

The professional world has a lot of so called executive "stars," but offline many rarely lives up to the hype, deliver very little besides slick talk and a well sculpted image, their word is not their bond, they often can not shake your hand and look you square in the eye.

Like many of you I enjoyed the concepts and strategies presented in the book Good to Great, written by Jim Collins. The problem is that many professionals, regardless of their color, want to jump a critical step and be Great, without first achieving the more fundamental accomplishment of being Good.

Coach Herman Edwards of the NFL's Kansas City Chief's, once mentioned in a television interview that when he was a boy his father once shared the penetrating words of wisdom, "I don't have a lot to give you son but a good name, what you do with it is up to you."

Do you have a "good name", is your credit good with other people, whether it is measured in financial, personal, professional or even spiritual capital? The world has enough slick professionals, some of us need to go back to the basics and realize the value of having a good name.

Let us know what you think.

Kim R. Wells

Understanding the Generational War at Work

I think this is a great article outlining the "generation wars" in the workplace. Originally published on CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/) by the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/). Hey the battle is not in the relm of music and entertainment, as seen in recent reports of "hip-hop generation" vs the "Old G's,"or "O'Riely types." All of that is interesting, but consider that those generation wars can also hit you in the workplace, and if you don't get it right at work when working with other generations it will serverely impact your effectiveness as a profesional.

Take a look at this article, and let us know what you think.

Does the old geezer you work with stubbornly refuse to accept change? Does the inexperienced, fresh-out-of-college know-it-all have you tearing your hair out? Workplace tensions can arise when people of different generations — working side by side — don't understand each other. You can diffuse tension at work by learning about the differences among your colleagues, appreciating those differences and making an effort to interact with members of each generation in a way that suits their work ethic and communication style.

The generations in today's workplace: Who they are

People of today's workplace generations possess characteristics that derive, in large part, from the political, social and economic climate of their youth.

Traditionalists — Born 1900 to 1945. Sometimes referred to as the World War II generation, traditionalists have worked longer than any of the other generations. Experiencing two world wars and the Great Depression taught most members of this generation how to live within limited means. Traditionalists are loyal, hardworking, financially conservative and faithful to institutions. Many are approaching retirement or are retired and now working part-time jobs.

Baby boomers — Born 1946 to 1964. When the baby boomers entered the work force, they felt compelled to challenge the status quo, and they're responsible for many of the rights and opportunities now taken for granted. Their boundless optimism led many to fight for change. Because of their large numbers, they faced competition from each other for jobs. Baby boomers all but invented the 60-hour workweek, figuring that demonstrated hard work and loyalty to employers was one way to get ahead. Their sense of who they are is deeply connected to their career achievements. As a whole, this generation is politically adept when it comes to navigating political minefields in the workplace.

Generation Xers — Born 1965 to 1980. Generation Xers are technologically savvy, having ushered in the era of video games and personal computers during their formative years. But witnessing skyrocketing divorce rates, their parents being laid off after years of dedicated service and challenges to the presidency, organized religion and big corporations instilled a sense of skepticism and distrust of institutions. Because they don't expect employer loyalty, they see no problem changing jobs to advance professionally.
In contrast to the baby boomers' overtime work ethic, generation Xers believe that work isn't the most important thing in their lives. They're resourceful and hardworking, but once 5 o'clock hits, they'd rather pursue other interests.

Millennials — Born 1981 to 1999. Many in this generation are still in school, but the oldest millennials are recent college graduates just now entering the work force. These are kids who've had access to cell phones, pagers and personal computers all their lives.
Millennials are eager to learn and enjoy questioning things. They're confident and have high self-esteem. They're collaborators and favor teamwork, having functioned in groups in school, organized sports and extracurricular activities from a very young age. They reject the notion that they have to stay within the rigid confines of a job description. Expect them to keep their career options open. As opposed to generation Xers who change jobs, millennials are more likely to make entire career changes or to build parallel careers.

'Cuspers': Wedged between two generations

The birth years defining the generations aren't carved in stone. You might identify with more than one generation if your birth year falls near the beginning or the end of a given range of years. In that case, consider yourself a "cusper" — one who's on the cusp between one generation and the next.

How to bridge the generation gap: Steps to success

Now that you understand more about each generation, you're on your way to bridging the generation gaps in your own work environment.

The formula for success involves three steps: Be aware of the differences. Acknowledge that everyone is different. (Remember that) Your colleagues' unique experiences influence their attitudes toward work.

Appreciate the strengths. Instead of harboring frustration over differences, focus on the positive attributes your co-workers possess.

Manage the differences effectively. Once you've acknowledged the differences and taken time to consider the strengths of your co-workers, find ways to interact with them that will be mutually beneficial.

Baby boomers vs. generation Xers: Biggest potential for misunderstanding
Of the four generations, baby boomers and generation Xers comprise the majority of the work force today. An interesting dynamic is developing between these two groups as generation Xers move into management positions — and supervise baby boomer colleagues.
Fortunately, baby boomers and generation Xers can employ certain strategies to build better working relationships with each other.

Workplace strategies for generation Xers to use with baby boomers. If you're a generation Xer, you may be able to win favor with your baby boomer co-workers if you:

Show respect. Acknowledge that you have less experience and can learn from them. You may be quite bright, but you can always learn something new.

Choose face-to-face conversations. Many baby boomers find e-mail or voice mail too impersonal and prefer speaking with someone face to face.

Give them your full attention. Multitasking may help you accomplish a lot during the day. However, if you're typing away at an e-mail while your baby boomer colleague is talking to you about a project, chances are you'll wind up at odds with that colleague. Giving your full attention at the times it's needed actually may be more efficient in the long run.

Play the game. Workplace politics are a fact of life. As a generation Xer, you may be completely turned off by politics, but sometimes, you've just got to play the game. Baby boomers are diplomatic and particularly adept at navigating politically charged environments.
Learn the corporate history. Unless you've been with a company since its inception, know that plenty of things transpired at the organization long before you set foot in the door. Find out what's gone right and what's gone wrong in the past — especially the lessons learned over the years. Nothing rankles a baby boomer more than a new employee who breezes in and wants to change things, with seemingly no thought given to what's gone on before.

Working with traditionalists:

Honor the chain of command. Traditionalists have respect for authority and they expect it in return.

Offer them job security. Traditionalists value the legacy they've built with your company.

Value their experience. Use them as a resource to learn what has — and hasn't — gone right at the company in the past. Respect the insights they've gained from years of experience.

Appreciate their dedication. Unlike the other generations, traditionalists are most likely to have taken a job and stayed with one company for their entire careers.

Working with millennials. Enhance your working relationship with millennials with these tactics:

Challenge them. Millennials want to work on things that really matter. Offer more responsibility as a reward for their accomplishments.

Ask them their opinion. Millennials love to collaborate and be team players. They respond less enthusiastically to a dictatorial chain-of-command style of management.
Find them a mentor. Millennials have an affinity and great respect for traditionalists.

Establish mentor-mentee relationships between these two groups, and both parties will benefit.

Provide timely feedback. Millennials are used to getting feedback instantaneously — at the touch of a button. In the workplace, they expect frequent, worthwhile feedback.

Respect for generations goes both ways. Younger employees can learn to value the experience of their older co-workers. Likewise, older workers may benefit by embracing the fresh perspectives of their younger counterparts. The next time you find yourself scratching your head in disbelief over the work habits of a colleague, stop and consider whether generational factors are at play. It may just provide you with the enlightenment you need to successfully manage the situation.

5 Power Moves to Leverage Your Next Job Fair

Most college students and young professionals attend job fairs, either on campus, at professional conferences, at community and city-wide events. Unfortunately many leave the fair having missed great opportunities because they weren't properly prepared. I have seen students and talented professionals leave career fairs with multiple hot opportunities, while at the same fair their equals leave complaining of lack of "real opportunities" at the fair. As the saying goes "one man's garbage is another man's gold."


1. Do your pre-fair homework. Before you even step foot in the place, review all employers attending (often listed in online registration services or pre-fair advertisements) and plan a schedule on employers you would like to visit and specific opportunities of interest. Also note in some cases if available key contact names and titles of positions or programs you are interested in. Savvy employers pick up quickly who has done research prior to the fair, get a professional edge, be one of those people that stand out in the crowd.



2. Tailor your resume for career fair. This resume should be tailored to the employers and opportunities your researched prior to the fair (leave the generic versions home!). If you really want to take it to the next level prepare a cover letter with a specific contact and position listed (as listed pre-fair by the employer). ***Remember some employers are not able to accept resumes, don't take it personal, but remember to leave a card (note on back your strategic intent-position etc.), and immediately follow-up and apply online.


3. Prepare your "One Minute Power Presentation." This would be your initial 1 minute introduction of yourself, your academic background, most marketable experiences and skills, specific job or internship interest. Be concise, confident, and professional. You should prepare your presentation prior to the fair, but don't sound stiff and rehearsed. Through in a little specialized research on particular employers if you can (i.e. latest reports, current media issues etc.) By the way a big part of this presentation is dress, never come to a career fair in "professional casual" attire. Be dressed like the sharpest executive on wall street.



4. Get there early. Unfortunately some people always seem to wait until noon to attend career fairs, and guess what they will be joined by hundreds of other candidates, in some cases thousands, many long lines, and greeted by rushed employers. Get there early, you'll have shorter lines, a better opportunity to talk with employers, you will also reach employers when they have more energy and time to give you more quality attention. When you arrive early you may be able to avoid long registration lines as well.

5. Follow-up. Never leave without individual contact information of recruiters, especially of employers that really impressed you. Follow-up with emails, and yes, written letters are a popular novelty if you send it to a recruiter with a nice card. Find out the next time the employer will be in town, or on campus. Make sure you schedule time to make a follow-up connection with the employer in near future.

Make it happen for yourself, you deserve it!
Any other recommendations readers?

Kim R. Wells
kwells@howard.edu

Ideal Industries and Employers for African American Students

Universum http://universumusa.com/home.html, one of the world's leaders in employer branding and talent management strategy, released earlier this year it's 2007 diversity report regarding African American student career interests.

The report was based on survey data gathered from 16,087 diverse student respondents from MBA and undergraduate students at 137 colleges and universities.

African American undergraduates listed as its preferred industries:
1. Government / Public Service - 19%
2. Health care - 18%
3. Education / Teaching - 14%
4. Entertainment / Media / Public Relations - 12%
5. Financial Services - 10%

African American MBA students listed the following as its preferred industries:
1. Financial Services - 26%
2. Management Consulting - 25%
3. Consumer Goods - 18%
4. Entertainment / Media / Public Relations - 12%
5. Investment Banking - 12%

The top 5 employers in the "Ideal Employer Ranking"
for African American undergraduate students were:
1. Google
2. Nike
3. U.S Department of State
4. Microsoft
5. Walt Disney

The top 5 employers in the "Ideal Employer Ranking"
for African American MBAs were:
1. McKinsey & Company
2. Google
3. Goldman Sachs
4. Bank of America
5. Coca-Cola

Kim R. Wells
Kwells@howard.edu

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Talk about a Professional Edge!

In looking to succeed in the future one must remember examples of greatness in the past. Many of today's young Black professionals are so caught up in the daily battles for opportunity, respect and significance they often forget that they are not the first generation of African Americans to face great challenges...and succeed.

Through the book Martin Luther King on Leadership (one of my personal favorites), written by Donald Phillips http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Leadership/dp/0446523674, Dr. King shares his personal and professional strategies for success with a new generation of Black leaders.

"Let nobody fool you, all the loud noises we hear today are nothing but the death groans of a dying system. The old order is passing away, the new order is coming into being. But whenever there is anything new there are new responsibilities. As we think of this coming new world we must think of the challenge that we confront and the new responsibilities that stand before us. We must prepare to live in a new world."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

August 11, 1956

Some excellent words to today's young leaders include:

"Your job is too great and the days are too bright to be bickering in the darkness over jealously, deadening competition, and internal ego struggles"

"Seek to transform your suffering into a creative force"

"A refusal to be stopped, the courage to be, the determination to go on in spite of, is the hallmark of great movements"

"Whenever you set out to build a temple, you must face the fact that there is a tension at the heart of the universe between good and evil"

"A firm sense of self-esteem is the most powerful weapon against slander and vilification"

"Tie your vision to the human desire for a better tomorrow"

"If you can't stop for an average person in your organization, then you don't need to pursue your lofty goals"

"The road map for your movement may change, but your final destination should remain the same"

"Your organization will prosper or die as a result of your ability to create, embody, and communicate a vision"

Let us know what you think

Kim R. Wells

kwells@howard.edu

Chaz Kyser Comments on "Learning to Work with Your Peoples"

A great comment on the previous entry "Learning to Work with Your Peoples" from Author Chaz Kyser. Check out Chaz's popular new book, Embracing the Real World, The Black Woman's Guide to Life After College.

Chaz writes...



Thank you for addressing such a touchy, but common issue among Black people. I too have often found that Black people don't give me the same level of service they would give a person of another color, or they don't give me the same respect. I have even experienced this with students. I think that part of the reason is that we often just feel "too comfortable" with other Black people--even those we don't know. We think we can say things we normally would not say to a person of another ethnic group because another Black person will "cut us more slack" or see us as "just keeping it real." I love the sometimes natural camaraderie that Black people often share, but it seems like that camaraderie should make one treat another Black person better than those of other ethnic groups, not worse.

See Chaz's featured column on Black Collegian online at http://www.black-collegian.com/career/kyser/kyser_work_life_0807.htm

Let us know what you think.

Kim R. Wells
kwells@howard.edu

The Best Places to Work in Government

According to a recent report released by the Partnership for Public Service the following are the best employers in the federal government according to Black or African American employees.

For a complete listing see this link http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/index.php?t=scores_large&c=black

1 . Nuclear Regulatory Commission

2. Government Accountability Office

3. Social Security Administration

4.Department of State

5.Department of Justice

6.General Services Administration

7.Department of the Air Force

8.Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

9.National Aeronautics and Space Administration

10.Securities and Exchange Commission

11.Department of the Army

12.Environmental Protection Agency

13.All Department of Defense

14.Department of Transportation

15.Department of the Treasury

16.Department of Agriculture

17.Department of Labor

18.Department of the Navy

19.Department of Energy

20.Department of Health and Human Services

Maybe their next report will shed some light on the continued challenges reported by African American students and graduates in applying for federal opportunities (smile).

Let us know what you think.

Kim R. Wells

kwells@howard.edu

What are the Top Human Resource Issues of the Upcoming Election?

According to recent survey results released by the Society of Human Resource Management's HR Issues Update the following are the top Human Resource issues their readers felt should be covered in the Presidential Debates:

• Health care reform


• Immigration reform

Rounding out the field were:

• Family and Medical Leave Policies


• Skills Shortage/Workforce Readiness


• Pay Equity/Executive Compensation


• Employer-Provided Education Tax Credits"

What important employment and HR issues do think need to be discussed in the debates and throughout the election year?

Kim R. Wells

kwells@howard.edu

Surveyed HR and Training Executives Unsure How to Apply Diversity

Based on article written by Kathy Gurchiek, Putting Diversity into Practice Stymies Many Firms, HR News 8/27/07 6:45 AM

According to a recent article by Kathy Gurchiek in Society of Human Resource Management's HR News putting diversity into practice has been a challenge for many firms. For many of you young professionals looking to access and advance in today's top corporations this may be of interest to you.

According to the article organizations are increasingly committed to diversity in their workforce, but one-fourth of more than 2,000 senior HR and training executives polled are unsure how to apply it and leverage its benefits; a conclusion based on findings by the Boston-based Novations Group, a global consulting organization that commissioned the Internet survey of 2,046 workers conducted in February 2007.

Other findings:

• 48 percent of senior management accepts the business case for diversity and does what is necessary to leverage inclusion with the organization.

• 14 percent of senior management gives lip service to diversity but lets HR pursue its inclusion efforts.

• 9 percent of senior management is not convinced of the business case for diversity but supports inclusion efforts.

• 5 percent of senior management does not accept the business case for diversity and gives little or no support to inclusion efforts.

Let us know what you think

Kim R. Wells

kwells@howard.edu

Are You An Asset or Liability?

Are you perceived as an Asset or a Liability to those you work with in school, at your internship, or as a young professional in the corporate world? Although some of us would never admit it to others, we sometimes already know the answer.

Racism is real, but racism aside, a lot of people simply aren't delivering value everyday to the people and teams that depend on them daily. Racism didn't hold millions of other Black executives from achieving, the rule of the jungle was / and is to move forward in spite of racism, to demonstrate your professional value, and not to let others deny you what is rightfully yours.

Being perceived as a liability costs you in promotion opportunities, being selected for high profile projects, cost you in salary, and being invited to interact with elite networks where decisions and opportunities are decided. People invest time and effort in people they see as valuable, they will not invest in those that are seen as "tolerated" or draining liabilities on their teams, projects, and resources.

Here are some tough professional questions to ask yourself. If you are honest congratulations, you can develop a plan and connect with people to improve your performance and outlook in these areas. If you are not honest and lie to yourself, I can guarantee that you will eventually slip into the "blame game" and professional mediocrity.

After answering each question ask yourself, based on my response and given the context of my current work environment, would I be perceived as a liability or an asset?

• Is your reputation impeccable? If not why?



• If asked would most people say you can be counted on to deliver?



• Could you be replaced easily?



• Do others believe you eliminate unnecessary barriers to get work done?

• Are you well versed in the latest technology in your field?

• If asked would others say you deliver your work in a timely manner?



• Do others believe you can handle sensitive issues?



• If asked would most people say you are accessible in a timely manner?



• Would most in your immediate circles if asked say you are a "doer" or a "complainer"?



• In your circles do you continuously discusses how hard you work? Do you think this is valued, or perceived as you are struggling to perform your duties?



• Are you satisfied with your ability to turn out high quality work quickly?



• Do you have a mastery of the critical management processes required to deliver in your field?



• Will your current professional colleagues vouch for you in a crisis?



• Do you take off a lot of time being sick or for personal issues?



• If you were out tomorrow from work would anyone miss you?



• Are you a team player, able to work with and lead people from different races and the multiple generations now working in today's workforce?

• Are there other people that you work with who are more known for getting the job done than you?



• Are you perceived as an "ideas person," but sometimes struggle to bring projects to completion?



• Who are your closest 4 professional colleagues? Why?

• Are you compensated properly for what you do?

Let us know what you think.

Kim R. Wells

kwells@howard.edu