On behalf of Manpower Central Iowa we would like to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!
“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
William Arthur Ward
Posted in General Information
Tagged Central Iowa, Happy New Year 2009, Manpower, Nick Reddin, William Arthur Ward
I recently wrote an article for the Des Moines Business Record on the importance of real leadership in the workplace. What I really tried to point out is how a real leader lives and thinks. I hope you will find this article helpful as you lead in your work, life and any other areas that you devote yourself too.
Article:
As the world and business continue to turn, grow and change, one thing is for sure. There is always a need for leaders – real leaders who do what they believe is right to move things forward and inspire others to come along. In times of struggle, leaders give hope; in times of uncertainty, they give direction. However, being a leader does not always mean having success; more times than not, it might mean failure. Being OK with failure, learning from it and moving forward may be the true definition of a real leader.
If you are reading this, you are probably in some form of leadership in your company. To be sure, though, being in a position of leadership is not the same as being a leader. I bet it wouldn’t take you long to think of people throughout your career who have been in positions of leadership but have been far from leaders. Maybe they lead by fear and intimidation or incompetence and blame. Real leadership is rare in the workplace.
A lot of companies bring in consultants to be leadership gurus and train their people how to lead. The only problem with that approach is that everyone is different; in leadership, one size does not fit all. Trying to form everyone with all of their different personalities and dispositions into one type of manager just ends up frustrating people.
Click here to continue reading.
I recently wrote an article for the Des Moines Business Record about the hard life Human Resources departments are currently having. In the article I point out that even though they may be the one’s swinging the axe, they are suffering almost as much as the person on the other end as well.
Article:
Living, breathing and working in the world of work brings continual challenges. The challenge of staying motivated at work is increasingly difficult when people around you are being let go all of the time. As soon as you start to feel safe and are able to once again focus on your work, another round of layoffs occurs, sometimes without any warning or sense of it coming.
Because work and life are so closely connected, they both become a struggle to get through, and any sense of joy or accomplishment can be sapped away. It is tough on the front lines.
For better or worse, I have an interesting vantage point. In my job, I am on the front lines viewing a lot of what is taking place. The one department in companies that I believe has it the hardest is one that you might not suspect. The human resources department may have the most challenging job right now.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Des Moines Business Record, Hatchet Man, Laid Off, Layoffs, Manpower Inc., Nick Reddin, Youre Fired
I recently wrote an article for Veritas Magazine dealing with the lost hope that people are feeling as they search for a job. These are definitely tough and unprecedented times, but we can still choose how our attitude will be when facing the unknown. And while hope may seem far off, it is actually as close as it as ever been.
Article:
I think it safe to say that these are some of the most difficult times ever faced for a lot of generations. As a Gen Xer, I know my generation has never seen such difficult times as these. The news seems to be getting worse every day, and every hopeful sign turns out to be a house of cards.
People have lost jobs at a historic rate and have lost confidence in everything that they had once thought was sure.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Des Moines, Job Searching, Lost Hope, Nick Reddin, Veritas, Veritas Magazine
I was recently interviewed by Recessionwire.com for an article about confidence in interviewing. This is a great topic due to the amount of layoffs and the need for people to find work. When layoffs and job loss occur, coupled with no one calling you back after submitting your resume to dozens of job opportunities. Your confidence can take a visible hit, which can inadvertently undermine your job interview opportunities.
Article:
The Confidence Game
Mark Twain once wrote that the only things required for success are ignorance and confidence. If we humbly assume a good measure of the former, then the only thing needed for a successful job search is confidence.
Simplistic? Perhaps. But for those of us who awake each morning to face yet another day of launching resumes into the ethers and throwing ourselves at the mercy of old cronies or long-lost college cohorts who just might provide that magical, silver-bullet nexus of our LinkedIn fantasies, it can be difficult to crank up the old confidence meter to the appropriate level of chipperness. Each non-returned inquiry and “we’re not hiring right now” response is one more pinprick in the life raft of our confidence.
But let’s get real—sinking beneath the waves simply isn’t an option. That means we must meet each pinhole in the raft with a fresh wad of Double Bubble, chewed vigorously and confidently. Sure, you can hide in the closet now and then, shut the door, cover your mouth with an unused business suit and let out a primal scream or two. But then shake off the dust bunnies and get back in the living room.
“Everything you do, say, or write is a reflection of your confidence,” says Nick Reddin, business development manager for Manpower, one of the largest employment services companies in the world. “Your resume, cover letter, hand shake, telephone demeanor—everything should project that you are ready to take on the position you are applying for.”
In his position at Manpower, Reddin talks with hundreds of prospective candidates, both as an employment advisor and on behalf of employers. He says his instincts can tell when a candidate is been through the grinder and is starting to feel defeated.
Posted in Nick Reddin, World of Work
Tagged Confidence, Interview Techniques, Layoffs, Manpower Inc., Nick Reddin, Recessionwire.com
The article below is from a piece I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record. With the economy being what it is, the typical landscape of hiring and firing have definitely changed. One of the changes I have noticed in particular is at college job fairs. While they have always been interesting, these times have made them even more so.
Article:
One of the things I get to do in my job is stay alert to the trends taking place and shaping the way people hire and fire. I tend to write about these trends when I see something that particularly stands out to me as being different from the norm. To be honest, I have recruited at more job fairs than I care to remember – numbering somewhere in the hundreds, I am sure.
Job fairs are interesting as a whole; it is almost a social experiment. You have people who for the most part just want the free stuff at your booth, you have the people who didn’t bring a resume but want you to interview them on the spot, and you have the people who are going booth to booth with their friends, dressed and acting completely unprofessional and yet wanting you to hire them. On the upside, you do meet a lot of very well-prepared professional people who attend job fairs and make them worth your time.
Click here to continue reading.
Below is from an article I recently wrote for the Des Moines Business Record about the importance and methods of employee feedback. This is a crucial topic especially during these times when companies are having to survive with less employees. Perfecting the art of feedback is what will keep those stretched employees engaged, motivated and productive.
Article:
Feedback is an interesting topic for a variety of reasons. I believe feedback is incredibly important when it comes to shaping your staff into your A team.
I love what former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry once said: “A coach makes people do what they don’t want to do to become what they want to be.” Though I am not a fan of the Cowboys, I have always been a fan of Tom Landry, and that quotation contains some of the best simple wisdom ever dispensed.
In most companies, I have noticed there is a philosophy along the lines of “feedback is a gift,” which is usually said right before they criticize you. Or they may say, “I have some constructive criticism I would like to share with you.” Who’s kidding whom? Criticism is still criticism.
The link below is to my recent article for Veritas Magazine called Walking Wounded: Instructions for Working when Salaries are Cut. I think this is a very important topic that I wanted to address in a fair amount of detail as it is affecting so many people in the workforce.
What should our attitude be?
What should our effort look like?
Ultimately who are we really working for?
Walking Wounded: Instructions for Working when Salaries are Cut
Posted in Nick Reddin, World of Work
Tagged Furloughs, Nick Reddin, Salary Cuts, Veritas Magazine, Walking Wounded
I recently wrote an article for the Des Moines Business Record dealing with what is appearing to be the demise of Corporate Casual (to some degree). In these times of stress and economic hardship it is interesting how it is affecting what people wear to work.
To your possible dismay I do make my case for why the demise or at least shake-up of Corporate Casual is definitely a good thing. While personally I am for Casual work environments I think when you see my reasoning you will join me in my opinion.
We just released our Manpower Top 10 hardest positions to fill study (yes even in these tough recessionary times it is still difficult to fill some positions -crazy I know). Below are the results for America.
The top 10 jobs that employers are having difficulty filling across America are:
1.Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance
2.Production Operators
3. Accounting & Finance Staff
4. Laborers
5. Engineers
6. Sales Representatives
7. Management/Executives
8. Sales Managers
9. Skilled Trades
10.Secretaries, PAs, Administration Assistants & Office Support
Vacancies for technicians are the most difficult to fill for the second year in succession. After not appearing among the top 10 hard-to-fill positions in the 2008 survey, employers are identifying Accounting & Finance positions as the third most difficult to fill.
Click here to see the Global Study including America in a pdf format.
Posted in Workforce Statistics
Tagged Hard to Fill Jobs, Hardest to Fill Jobs, Manpower, Nick Reddin, Top 10
Below is an article that I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record on Talent Management. Specifically on how to manage and help your up-and-comers.
Article:
There is one nice thing about working and living in America – OK, actually there are a few nice things. But one in particular is an individual’s ability to pursue his or her dream. With the right determination and skills, someone who starts in the mailroom could someday end up in the CEO’s office. Or someone who starts on the manufacturing floor a few years later ends up being the production manager running the floor.
There are tons of examples of how this plays out daily in America’s work force. The only requirements to participate are to have a dream, a solid work ethic and the right attitude. Although, with these scenarios there is a problem that might not be evident at first but eventually becomes more apparent.
The problem is twofold. First, companies believe that because someone is great at one thing, he or she will be great at another. For example, some companies believe that if someone is great at sales, he or she should be the sales manager. That is terrible thinking, because it assumes that the person would be a great manager of people. In the case of sales, if people are great at selling, let them sell and leave them where they are.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Business Record, Des Moines, Employee Engagement, Iowa, Manpower, Nick Reddin, Talent Management
Below is an article that I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record dealing with employee motivation and satisfaction in tough times.
Article:
I have said and written many times that I love my job, my company and what I do for a living. As I travel and speak at conferences, I know I am not the only one. There are a lot of people in this state who are passionate and highly engaged in their jobs. That said, I know that an even larger number of people are not happy in their jobs and are barely engaged.
I am addressing today’s article to the unhappy. If you are reading this, more than likely you are in some type of leadership position within your company. You are probably scanning the publication for information that can help you in your job or can help your company gain some type of advantage. You saw my headline and were intrigued.
Posted in Employee Engagement, Nick Reddin
Tagged Des Moines Business Record, Iowa, Manpower, Nick Reddin
I will be back next week with all the latest developments in the world of work.
This is an article that I wrote for the Des Moines Business Record, I hope you find it useful.
Article:
There is a lot to be said about things falling out of the sky in Iowa during winter. We have had snow, ice, rain and the beloved winter mix, which is apparently a mixture of all three. Add to that, for the first time in my life I witnessed “thundersnow.” A term I don’t think I will ever forget and one that sounds like the title of a B movie.
What I find interesting is that these events come and go on a fairly regular basis. No matter how bad the storm, we know in a day or two it will be gone and in some cases within a couple of hours. That is just the way weather works in Iowa, and we are used to it.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Des Moines Business Record, Economical Crisis, Manpower, Nick Reddin
This is an article I wrote for Veritas Magazine on the dangers of office gossip and backstabbing. Hopefully you never participate in these types of behaviors, but truth be told at some point we all do.
Article:
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from The Office, it’s that drama for the sake of drama is a normal part of our culture and social dynamic. If Andy’s not running over Dwight in the parking lot, Michael is making a tasteless joke inside.
But even outside network television, we use drama for all kinds of sinful reasons. It’s out of pride, arrogance, vanity, or selfishness, and the list could go on. A lot of the times the drama is aimed squarely at us, and as Christians we have a definite choice to make: How am I going to act and respond?
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Nick Reddin, Office Gossip, Office Politics, The Office, Veritas Magazine
This is an article I recently wrote for the Des Moines Business Record dealing with the current uncertainty people are feeling at work. I try to give some prescriptive measures to company managers and leaders in what I think are good ideas to help quell worker insecurity.
Article:
Preacher and author Leroy Brownlow once said, “There are times when silence has the loudest voice.” Of course, what he did not say is exactly what that applies to. Though I agree with him, I think there are some very definite positive and negative effects of being silent, especially in uncertain times. I think there are times when silence is needed more than a loud voice, and conversely I think there are times when a loud or at least a consistent voice is needed.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged Business Record, Communication, Des Moines, Iowa, Layoffs, Nick Reddin, Worker Insecurity
I am thrilled to be a part of this project on the local level here in Des Moines. There is truly nothing better than helping kids to focus on their future and prepare for a successful transition into the world of work.
Article:
Junior Achievement (JA) and Manpower Inc., a provider of employment services, announced the launch of a joint initiative to provide young people from around the world with work-readiness skills through a hands-on educational program. The program, JA Success Skills, aims to help students learn how to find, secure and keep a job, and provides them with tools designed to develop personal strategies for long-term career success.
“JA Success Skills will unite a generation of students in the common goal of further developing a prosperous, stable global marketplace,” said Sean C. Rush, president and CEO of JA Worldwide.
“Manpower is dedicated to preparing individuals of any age around the world to excel in the workplace,” said Jeff Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. “Our partnership with JA demonstrates our commitment to sharing our expertise with the workforce of the future.”
The program will kick off globally in March, and will be featured at the JA-YE Europe Skills for the Future Summit in Brussels, Belgium, April 1 to 2.
The summit will highlight skills such as expertise in entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work-readiness. Event attendees will include European Commission officials, business leaders and policy makers and JA and Manpower representatives. Volunteers from Manpower’s Brussels operation will deliver the “JA-in-a-Day” version of JA Success Skills in English to students attending the event, and Manpower representatives will present “Skills for Employability.”
This is an article I wrote for Veritas Magazine in Des Moines, IA. I focused this article on making the most out of your work situations even when times are tough.
Article:
When people think of work, typically they would rather think about the end of work. When is the work day over? When is break? How much longer until lunch? When is the weekend going to get here? Although it is easy to have that attitude, it is important to remember something about the whole idea of work.
The header and link below is to an article I recently wrote for the Des Moines Business Record. I encourage you to read through it and I would love to hear your thoughts on Gen Y.
Article:
Before you start launching tomatoes and pelting me with empty pop cans, let me explain. I know when you see “Generation Y” and “loyalty” in the same sentence, you think it is an oxymoron along the classic lines of “military intelligence.” Well, I have news. The Gen-Y folks do have a strangely loyal generational distinction.
Let’s look at a couple of things before I broad-brush the whole generation loyal. First, the members of Generation Y are often accused of being the most self-centered generation ever. They have been called the “me” generation, and to capitalize on it, they have Web pages all about themselves, using social media to share with the world more and more about themselves. They love Twitter.com, which allows them to tell all their friends and family exactly what they are doing in real-time microbursts.
A few weeks ago (Nov 26, 2008) I filled in for local radio talk show host Jan Mickelson on the world famous 1040 am WHO radio station in Des Moines. I talked mostly about subjects pertaining to the world of work, which as you know is my specialty. Since I have had so many requests to listen to it, I am now posting the audio. WHO was phenomenal to work with and I enjoyed the experience tremendously and look forward to doing it again.
I want to again give a huge thanks to Van, Joel, and Jan for allowing me the opportunity.
I hope you enjoy the broadcast.
Posted in Nick Reddin
Tagged 1040 am, Clear Channel, Des Moines, Jan Mickelson, Nick Reddin, WHO News Radio
