More than Money

Self-motivation is worth more than money
If you have the MONEY to hire the best advisors, but lack the motivation to actually use their advice, you will quickly lose the money. However, the person with the self-motivation to take intelligent action can have as much money as he or she is committed to earning. This is why people can go from rags to riches and why many rich people, end up not only broke – but broken.

In my business, I work hard to avoid people, who want to hire me as their marketing coach, just so we can have lots of interesting conversations. This is because I know that unless someone is motivated enough to get off their butt and work with the ideas and answers I provide to them, they won’t achieve anything. However, a self-motivated person working to a great plan, is simply unstoppable!

Faith is worth more than money
No matter how rich a person is financially, if they lack faith in; them self, their spouse, their friends, their company or product etc – they won’t feel very wealthy. Personally, I find that during the crunch times in life, and we ALL have those times, it’s also great to have faith in something that’s bigger than we are. In my case, that’s faith in God.

It’s impossible to move forward, unless we have faith in others and ourselves; from faith that the brakes on your car will work, to faith that if you work hard enough doing the right things, your business plans will work.

Knowledge is worth more than money
If someone dumps a million or two into Bob’s bank account, he better quickly learn how to be a millionaire! Otherwise, Bob won’t be a millionaire very long.

The reason lottery companies provide financial experts to work with the lottery winners, who win the major prizes, is that they were worried about all the negative stories, of multi-million lottery winners, who went broke and often ended up with less than they started with. That’s because money without knowledge, tends to disappear very quickly. A fool and his money, and all that! Of course, many lottery winners still went broke after getting great financial advice, because they lacked the self-motivation to use what they were told.

My mentor, the late Jim Rohn, used to say that the real value of building a million dollar business is NOT the million dollars. It’s the learning and knowledge we acquire earning that fortune. Take a million away from a millionaire, who made that money themselves, and they can make another million. This has been proven again and again to be true.

Unemployed in the Festive Season? Great! Get out and Party!

It seems like only last month that we were in the middle of the Summer Vacation slump, when all our precious customers are sunning themselves on the beach instead of trawling the shopping malls, but take heart, this is a time of great opportunities, especially for job seekers..

The festive season is a great time to catch up and expand on your network, if you remain focussed, use your head and your time accordingly. The holiday season has always been an excellent time of year for job hunters and networkers.

You Send Mail

Spreading holiday cheer and New Year’s greetings over the phone, via e-mail or with a card is a great and valid reason to reconnect with people you don’t regularly see or with whom you correspond infrequently.

Parties Galore!

There are as many different types of parties and seasonal festivities; office parties, cocktail parties at your neighbours’ houses or scholl concerts for your kids. These present ample opportunities to meet new people and to network in relaxed, convivial settings.

Live Chatter

It’s so much easier to make small talk about things like family, holiday plans, shopping and gifts at this time of year, and those universal topics help break awkward silences and warm up conversations that you can eventually direct toward your networking needs.

Making Connections

The Festive season is the ideal time for job hunters, especially for those who find setting up networking meetings difficult, to make a connection with someone they want to get to know by offering them a ride to a party, providing directions or giving them an admission ticket to an event.

Embrace the Moment
You have been trying to get a hold of these people all year. So, now that they are out there, don’t dread the opportunity that these social events present; embrace them.

Here are some tips to help you make the most of the festive season’s networking opportunities:

1.Be selective

If you are furtunate enough to have multiple invitations for the same date or just don’t want to spread yourself too thin, decide which events are worth your time based on the networking potential that each provides and/or the amount of fun you think you’ll have, but don't get fun and work mixed up.

2.Do your Research

Before selecting the event you’re planning to attend, find out who is expected to be there. Politely ask the person organising the event if they might tell you whom they invited. Then identify the individuals you want to meet. Learn about these people and the companies they work for so you can have an intelligent discussion with them and thus make a positive impression, but don't be a boring geek!

3.Planning ahead.

Have some idea what you might say to break the ice and keep conversations flowing. People are going to ask you who you are and what you do for work, so know how to answer that question:

Come up with a succinct explanation, something funny or a simple anecdote that illustrates what you do and distinguishes you from the rest of the pack. Also think about what you might offer the people you meet in terms of advice, an introduction or a referral. Planning ahead will help you make the most of the event and increase your confidence going into it, but don't actually write a script and if you do do not let anyone see you refering to it.

4.Know your goals

When you finally get in front of your target contacts, what do you want to get out of the interactions? Do you want their business card, or a referral or permission to contact them afterward to discuss your mutual interests? Taking small pieces of their clothing or hair is not recommended, as this will be perceived as 'spooky'.

5.Make a good first impression

In the age of the Internet, a social event is a rare and invaluable opportunity to speak with someone face to face. So give the casual attire a break and look smart for the occasion. Also keep breath mints and your business cards handy. Be sure to have a good close shave beforehand, especially if you are a man.

6.Have a friend introduce you

If you’re rather shy with strangers and uncomfortable introducing yourself to someone new, find someone who knows the people you want to meet and ask that person to introduce you. Show your gratitude to your introducer by finding a way to help him or her. Never forget a favour, but don't pay over any cash. It's not cool.

7.Work the room in twos

You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to meet new people when you do so with another person by your side. Find someone with whom you’re socially compatible, who brings out the best in you and vice versa, and introduce yourselves to someone new, but don't dress identical cause that' just spooky again and avoid the temptation to play 'Good Guest, Bad Guest'.

8.Stay focused

A Festive season networking occasion is not about the food and drink in the same way that a working lunch is not about the food. Remember, it’s all about expanding your circle of relevant contacts and learning and gleaning as much as you can from your conversations.

It’s a good idea to take very small notes, the back of business cards will do. That way you'll be able to recall your conversation when you follow up with them. Try not to take notes openly cause then you'll risk looking like the paparazzi press.

9.Quality

Quality is always more important than quantity. It’s better to spend 'quality' time with a few key people, having a meaningful conversation than to have a dozen superficial chit-chats.

Don’t be too quick to break off a good discussion with one person to start another with someone new. You'll end up flitting around the room picking up new contacts and then quickly leaving them hanging, like some demented bulemic humming bird.

Respect

On the other side, play fair. Don’t waste other people's time or prevent others from doing a bit of networking too. Be respectful and courteous. Your goal is to be remembered for the right reasons and to get someone to take action on your behalf.

Resource or Resourceful

You need to be more than a name on a card or resume; you need be a resource they’ll keep on their radar for appropriate referrals and recommendations.

10.Hold your tongue.

It’s always better to say less rather than more and to remain silent than to put your foot in your mouth. If you don’t have anything to add, don’t feel obligated to talk. You can’t hurt yourself by being quiet, offering a friendly smile, or nodding to indicate that you are listening appreciatively.

It’s better to leave a neutral impression than to damage your reputation by speaking out of turn or making a politically incorrect statement. Plus, you never know what others who are listening could be hearing and then later reporting.

11.Be gracious

Write timely and responsive thank-you notes for invitations, assistance, introductions, referrals and advice. Not only does this show you have good manners and are courteous, but it also makes someone else feel appreciated and reminds them of your interaction.

12.Follow up.

To maximise the value of your networking efforts, be sure to follow up on the contacts you made. Make keeping in touch regularly with your network your new year’s resolution. You don’t want to be "out of touch; out of mind." Persistence is a guaranteed advantage in the job market.

Do Not Neglect Your Workforce: Your Future Depends on it

IT executives are constantly challenged to retain skilled IT employees and attract new talent whilst, keeping the budget square and the cost of labour in line with recession-related staff cuts.

In the midst of all this brinkmanship, juggling and balancing, they have to remember that neglecting the IT workforce will definitely damage the long term prospects of the company and themselves.

Do not cut your staff out of your IT budget:
It is clear that the majority of organisations do not plan to add staff in the coming months. Nearly two-thirds of those asked say that IT hiring has been put on hold until the 1st Quarter 2010, and the rest said they expect to increase head count modestly, in the same timeframe and only to replace shrinkage.

The problem is that despite the need to contain costs, the greatest priority in IT departments is the need to maintain and update skills, whilst at the same time adding enough staff to help support their companies' business. This is clearly more important in times of rapid growth and expansion but needs to be taken into account.

The Biggest Piece
Consider that the HR budget is the largest part of the IT budget, one of the primary challenges for executives and HR leaders, will be finding ways to better control those labour costs while engaging and retaining the workforce, effectively.

Morale
In addition, the current trend to restrict and reduce compensation and potential benefits coupled with additional workload will continue to stress and de-moralise the current IT workforce at many companies, and IT leaders need to be aware of retaining their key talent to ensure a potential for recovery from the current recession.

It will take time for the economy to stabalise and re-establish a new normal, the impact of this recession will continue to affect the organisation's bottom line, as well as on the overall job market. This will tempt companies to consider making further cuts in workforce-related spending.

Key Skills

Additional cuts, despite the budgetary need, could be false economy or at worst, a very big mistake. Certain IT skills remain in demand despite numerous IT professionals looking for work during the downturn. Key skills areas such as Oracle, SAP (All Flavours but particularly HR), Java EE, Microsoft .Net, SOA, Java and PeopleSoft (SAP-HR) continue to be sought after.

IT managers find it difficult to fill positions for enterprise architect, database administrator, project managers, ERP programmer/analysts, Internet/Web architects and Web application programmer positions. The issue isn't about the number of candidates available for hire, but rather their quality and skill profiles.It is ironic, because these are the very skills needed to implement the efficiency driven ERP system suites that are being put forward as essential to transform organisations in a crisis.

Dilemma
Here is the dilemma for IT executives. First you need to invest in powerful ERP Systems to transform, and re-shape an inefficient organisation but you don't have the skills on board to manage it, you do not have the skills to maintain it and your budget is so restricted that it does not allow for a quantum leap in demand for re-training. Even if you did re-train everyone, once they were trained they would be snapped up by other organisations!

IT Consultants
The good news is that the ERP System are being introduced and implemented by willing outsourced IT Consultancy group allied to the company, which is great in the beginning but unless your people can quickly gain the knowledge and skills required to manage the systems, then the consultants will be with you for a very long time ,at a huge cost to the organisation.

You have to ask yourself, "Where are the savings and benefits now?" and "What's my position and prospects for the future in all this?" Discuss!