We learned much about ourselves since March 18, 2020.  On that day, we were forced to close our doors for the first time in our 25 years of service to Princeton.  We certainly did not take that decision lightly and it was the last thing we wanted to do.  At that time there was much we did not know about the virus, and how to protect our staff and our clients.  These were…and are unique times.

The work did not stop, in fact it accelerated.  During the last 8 weeks we have worked with our partners to establish a virtual service for our clients including online workshops, labour market newsletters and updates, job postings, and virtual services direct to each client.  The learning curve was intense.

To pivot a direct service organization and create a virtual service required hard work, creativity, collaboration, and technology.  We assembled working teams addressing collating and interpreting Government announcements, creating virtual workshops, providing clients with virtual access to information, and transitioned how we interacted with our customers.  Goal setting & Teamwork accomplishes much.

We needed to check our resiliency.  This pandemic was about to create a myriad of difficulties for our operation, and perspective and balance was important.  Our ability to be resilient protected our mental health capacity which was challenged and we felt it.  We understood that in order to make it through, not only this current state but the “new normal” state that faces us at the other end, we needed to protect ourselves.  We needed to be able to absorb a tremendous amount of information and that required mind health.  Dr Bonnie Henry’s steadfast advice was the underpinning of this learning.  Be calm, be kind, stay safe. 

Moving forward, we don’t have the big picture…yet.  As most may not.  We know we are here to serve our community, and we will be figuring out how that can be done and what our next steps are.  We know challenges lie ahead for us, and we will continue to creatively solve our problems, one step at a time.  After all, that’s a tried and tested process for getting through difficult times.  Find what’s in your control, and work that angle.

Power Skills: Self- Care & Wellness

If we could truly enact our super powers to save the world in this Pandemic the evidence is clear; Social Distancing is Top Priority.  Sounds easy right? We are not so certain; after the first week of Netflix, Clorox Deep Cleaning, Hand washing fatigue, home cooking and yet another trivia game from your aunt on Facebook we suspect Social Distancing comes with a psychological fallout. Experts warn prolonged isolation during the pandemic may worsen or trigger mental health problems. Covid-19 universally boils down to Uncertainty, Unpredictability and CHANGE; and we know that Change especially when it’s unsubscribed can mean Stress!

While being Socially Distant Super Hero’s Self Care and Wellness need to be Job #1.  We know Stress can be made worse if we aren’t taking care of ourselves.  Now’s the time to lean on social supports, try to get enough sleep, eat healthy, exercise and engage in enjoyable activities.  Self care can no longer be a destination that we are constantly putting on our To-Do list, in these coming days its a matter of public service that we keep grounded and well!

Our hope is that you can access the tools and resources to self manage many aspects of your health and wellness so that you can continue to work or return to work, sharp and well. With the time to Amp up our mental health, Check out this easy to use and FREE guide from Peak Performance.

I know what your thinking… Self care and staying Calm sounds a little easier than it truly is. That’s why we have these additional resources and are happy to share them with you.  

BC’s Here to Help 

Canadian Mental Health Association 

Calm Blog

Mindful Exercises

Have you ever felt alone in your job? Craving input, interaction, direction, assistance to be better at what you do? Many people do, but many companies fail to recognize the benefits. Fear of collaboration, letting someone else in on your plans, is an excellent way to limit your effectiveness. The pie is big enough, in fact collaboration can create new pies where you didn’t know a bakery existed. Stephen Covey called this Synergy. Building on “two heads are better than one”, Covey believed that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Synergy requires a mindset that believes in the benefits of collaboration. Synergy puts aside the need to win, the need to be right, the need to have recognition, and creates a new and separate entity that is “its own”.

Consider these benefits of Collaboration from an INC. article we read recently.

1. Self-awareness. Nothing crystalizes what you bring to the table more than when you’re forced to articulate your competencies Collaborating challenges you to articulate and distill what you are great at, and what you do poorly. That honesty about your strengths and weaknesses can force you to ask for help when necessary and be brazen about how you can help others.
2. Scale. The old adage, “two heads are better than one” has been around for over four centuries for a reason. More effective problem solving happens when you combine resources in talent, experience, finances and infrastructure. Sharing and leveraging those resources means that your reach to new markets increases and re-energizes the connection you have with established customers.Ecosystems rule, and as in nature, our social organizations thrive where there are diverse and complimentary systems that enhance the lives other firms. Understand that your firm is part of a greater whole, and that there is power in that.
3. Creative Abrasion. This term was coined by Jerry Hirsch when he was an executive designer at Nissan. “Abrasion” is a process of wearing down through friction. We typically associate friction with something negative, but friction in its purest form, is energy. So why not convert that energy that comes from working with people who are different from you, into something positive? Leverage the differences and work to identify what can be complementary about them. Which leads me to this next point…
4. Take the long view. Sometimes things don’t work out well when you collaborate with others, no matter how hard you try, how patient you are, and how well you listen. But does that necessarily mean you never attempt again to work with that organization? Take the long view about perceived failures, as Dave Gloss from the creative agency Here’s My Chance reminded the group: while an initial project may not do well, the partnership may still be salvageable.
5. Learn, learn, and learn some more! Collaborating propels your firm to become a learning organization, a popular phrase right now that refers to organizations which have cultures of ongoing learning, and structures that support that learning through safety nets for failure, and opportunities for growth in all aspects of employees’ lives. Each time your firm collaborates with others you optimize the capacity of your associates to extend beyond their comfort zone, grow, and in turn, stretch the boundaries of the organization.

Collaborating may not be easy, however worthwhile things never are. Forever Learning!

The local election is behind us, there is a new Council tasked with continuing, changing, or even eliminating the hard work of the previous.

Change is a constant at the Skills Centre.  For 20 years we have worked with a variety of local, Provincial and Federal governments as we have continued our mission to help people wanting exactly that…..Change.  For 20 years we have worked with hundreds, thousands of people wanting to make personal and professional change.  For 20 years we have worked with companies trying to hold on to staff, changing staff and losing staff.

Yesterday we had the privilege of helping a young person wanting change.  That change required additional education.  Our knowledge and resources were able to break down the barriers for that young person who didn’t understand the educational systems, the certification processes and how barriers such as finances could be addressed.  

There wasn’t much fanfare in that interaction.  There never is.  Quietly and respectfully, we interact with people wanting change.  We partner our skills and knowledge with a clients desire to break down barriers.  That might not impress some, but to that one, it was everything.

Quietly marching on, at the Skills Centre we facilitate change.  

You’ve heard the slogan “gratitude is the attitude“.  Catchy right?  As a child you were taught to say Thank You, (at least I hope you were), when someone demonstrated a kindness or generosity to you.  What happened to that discipline, where is that muscle now?

We live in such an instant gratification society, and we are living our lives at such a rapid-fire pace that we sometimes are forgetting to acknowledge the people and experiences along the way.  

At the Skills Centre, we serve.  It’s what we do.  We help people looking for work, looking for compassion, looking for problem solvers, looking for information.  We solve problems daily for all types of people ~ accomplished business owners, workaday employees, down on my luck citizens, and even those that are stuck in a pattern of self sabotage.  We are thanked, tipped, and taken for granted equally.  We marshal on, we are grateful to serve.  Why?  Because when we give of ourselves, go the extra mile, help someone in need, we see their gratitude and we in turn experience our own gratitude for the blessings that we have.   “I cried because I had no shoes, till I met a man with no feet” (Helen Keller). See?

There are many benefits to exercising gratitude.

Gratitude makes us Happier, Healthier, Likable, Strengthens Us, Helps Our Career, Reduces Materialism, Reduces Narcissism, Improves our Spirituality, Improves our Sleep, Gives Us Energy, Relaxes Us, Helps us Bounce back from Struggles, and the list does go one.  There are so many reasons to exercise gratitude in all things. 

How do you exercise gratitude?.  Take a pause.  Evaluate all your daily experiences.  Look around, what do you see? We live in a beautiful setting, there is simply the physical world to express thanks for.  Thinks about the people you interact with daily, co workers, family, people on the street, shopkeepers.  Look intentionally for the kindness.  Its there I promise.  Then stop, reflect, and say “Thanks”.

Happy Thanksgiving Princeton & Area H!  We are grateful for you….Yes, ALL of you

PINSTERS!!

The picture above is an example of an extinct job due to automation.  WorkSafe may have a little something to say about the age of the worker, and the conditions as well 🙂  History has been a wonderful story teller for jobs of the past, that are no longer a part of the labour market.  Would the average worker be in a position to “hear” the death rattle of their beloved job or career?  Who was the last operator at a switchboard? Did they have a chuckle on their well played exit to retirement?  Lets hope that was the case!! 

The Princeton Skills Centre continues robust conversations about the shifts we see in the labour market.  These shifts are due to many factors such as retirees, technology, automation, immigration, industry shifts and demands for skilled workers. During our lifetime of work, we will also gain a perspective at one point, where we look back on jobs that once were, that are no more.  Consider that, Foxconn, the manufacturer who makes everything from iPhones to Xboxes, recently replaced 60,000 workers with robots. Deloitte estimates that 39% of jobs in the legal sector could be automated in the next 10 years. Separate research has concluded that accountants have a 95% chance of losing their jobs to automation in the future.    

As a workforce, we need to cultivate curiosity and skills that aid us to research, predict and plan a career that has the potential of being a part of a shift.  Information is available to the masses like no other time in the past via  news, blogs, industry papers, labour market reports, staff meetings, “chatter” at the workplace.  Paying attention to the conversations around us will aid in gaining some insight that will assist in predictions and preparations.

Perhaps now’s the time to sign up for training to keep sharp and stay ahead of the curve?  Today’s employee needs to be ready to skill up and “adapt” quickly to changing and challenging work constraints and industry shifts.  We can and should be stewards of our careers.  We must stay fierce are wildly curious.  It’s easier now more than ever to stay in the pipeline of information, with knowledge at our fingertips, and a googled approach to researching industry trends… why should any employee be left in the dust of a dying career? 

Let’s keep our heads from being comfy in the sand.  “Just go with it” may have worked out this far but reactionary living can only go so far, before you burn out or get blindsided.   

The role of the worker is to keep sharp, stay curious, develop and build as many skills as possible. It takes an intelligence and a drive to constantly own the role of Captain on your employment journey.  A good captain is aware of the environment constantly, using information, data, emotional grit, and experience to chart the best course for the ship to sail smoothly thru the challenging tides of “employment”.

Have you got your “SHIP” in order?

LW

So let’s say that your Employer is doing all they can to retain, train, and promote a positive work culture and in turn increase your Job Satisfaction.  They may have spruced up the lunch room, increased wages, included BONUSES, paid for training, surprised you with a gift card, increased family benefits, perhaps offered a 2- day trip or a dinner. This is a way to show their appreciation; for a multitude of things but in particular: Attitude, Production, Presenteeism, Safety Record, Long Service, Loyalty or Performance. 

Your Employer is invested in spending time building a positive relationship with you.  Now what are you doing to be sure your taking good care of your number one customer?  (Management/Boss) HINT, it’s more than showing up, it is a million little things that prove your worth, that say hey… “You’ll miss me if I’m gone”. As Denise Bisonnette writes in her book “30 Ways To Shine As A New Employee”, “The desire to achieve success on the job is not a matter of luck or fate; rather, it largely depends on everyday choices you make and behaviours you exhibit”. Consider our pick for the top five most desired Employee Behaviours:

1. Showing up for work on-time and consistently; call if you’re going to be late or sick
   1. When you don’t show… production ie: $$Dollars and Profit is impacted
2. Managing your moods and emotions~ not getting angry or emotional on the job
   1. A toxic workplace impacts People… therefore Productivity suffers and therefore dollars and profit is impacted
3. Treat your co-workers with RESPECT and act professional while on the job.
   1. While on the job you are building a reputation that can result in a future reference
4. Use your time well; “If you have time to lean… you have time to clean!”
   1. Time IS Money! Take initiative… find a task that will help your coworkers, manager or company.
5. Honest~ Stealing is stealing… small or large… pen or company fuel… or company time…
   1. According to the Retail Council of Canada, every year, employee theft costs Canadian businesses about $1.4 billion dollars

It’s a two way street, it’s a partnership, it’s an important relationship.  Employer and Employees alike have their own set of responsibilities to the relationship.  Are you doing your part?

Have you done enough to Retain TOP talent?

BOOM… it appears that the Princeton Job Markets supply and demand tipping points are about to shake up our typically EMPLOYER driven Labour Market!!  Never before have we seen more opportunity for our Local Job Seekers and the gainfully employed. That’s right, your TOP talent is being hunted, and more, now than ever, we need to have our BASICS in place to retain and recruit in these uncertain times.  With several opportunities to sharpen the saw, we witness the growth that happens in SHIFTING SEAS.

EMPLOYERS, MANAGERS, and HR Practitioners better be on point. Today’s Job Market dictates that it is absolutely mandatory to have done that “little relationship building thing”.  A loyal and solid Employer/ Employee relationship is critical to retaining TALENT.  Updated wages, benefits, increased vacation, and fun bonuses in the ever evolving Employee Culture and Incentives  to retain talent will be BIG payoffs in this high stakes hunting game.  If you as leaders have failed to stay innovative and “invested” (literally and figuratively) Dare I say it….  I SNIFF a SHIFT on the horizon— a BIG one!!

Now…  Just because the Job Market is HOT… doesn’t mean it’s DESPERATE.  Prerequisites, attributes, and work ethics still apply!!!  I have always recommend this MAGIC Potion for Performance and Promotion:

PRO’s KNOW: 

• Show up like a grown up and kill it… day after every damn day!
• Slay your Dragons; be a hero to your  Boss,  Crew, Clients, and your Work Mates
• Stayin’ late and starting early… Set Examples not Excuses!
• Consistently demonstrate your Pro Polish and throw down your Money Attitude;
• Be Aware, Kind, and an ever lovin’ BOSS in your work choices and reputation.
• Practice Mindfulness– It is a FREEKING SUPERPOWER!

Let these shifting seas test your Innovations, Best Practices and Leadership.   Business… a game… intricate at best, hard to predict and RISKY. In the end it’s all about how well you proved your worth,  prepared for talent demands, invested in your operations, infrastructure and people. Go ahead allow your company to SAIL through this Labour Market STORM!!

“The Roughest Of Waters… Creates the Smoothest Of Stones.”

~Leah Ward CCDP  Career Practitioner