blogging4jobs |  |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 04:33 AM PDT  “Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you deal with it is what makes the difference.” -Virginia Satir Many years ago, when my family was very new – my first child was not yet one year old (she’s 24 and married now) – we moved into a tiny, two bedroom, one bath home. It was on a quiet one-way street in a small Midwestern town. We were young homeowners, just 24 ourselves, and so excited about moving to a new neighborhood, meeting new neighbors, and becoming real adults with real responsibilities. One of those new neighbors, Tink Levendoski, came over and introduced himself right away. He was an older gentleman with a sloppy gait that indicated bad knees or a bad hip. He and his wife were very friendly and helped us all the time. They showed us the best place in the yard to plant our garden, helped us shuck two barrels of sweet Indiana corn for blanching and freezing, loaned me the pots and pans and helped make homemade bread and butter pickles from my homegrown cucumbers, zucchini bread from my homegrown zucchini and so much more… Tink and his lovely bride Dorothy were wonderful neighbors, great parents and grandparents, and all around good people. One late afternoon, we asked Tink why he limped so. With a shrug and a far-offdistant look, he told us that he had been a paratrooper in World War II and that he had landed at Normandy. We all sat in silence for a moment. Tears filled our eyes and we thanked him for his service. I remember thinking as I fell asleep that night how lucky I was to live in a cozy, little house with my little family and having never experienced the sacrifice Tink had or our grandparents and parents had. We felt very fortunate and grew even closer to our new neighbors as we talked about the war and his numerous experiences over that summer. I had seen many movies, my grandfather had been in the infantry and I have an uncle who was a Green Beret but no one had ever sat with me for hours and talked about their experiences. I realized soon enough that owning a 900 square foot home was not grown up, it was the sacrifices we make and how we handle them that determines our maturity. About a year later, I was pregnant with our second child, fall was quickly being replaced by winter. Early one Sunday, there was a knock on our door. When I opened the door, I recognized Tink’s daughter-in-law. She stopped by to let us know that Tink had passed away during the night. I was instantly overcome and had to sit down, we had just been with him the night before, listening to his stories, learning from his insight once more. We were devastated, it rattles me even now to write of him, over two decades later. He was a good man, a kind man, who loved his country and his family. He constantly gave to those around him, but expected very little in return. He lived with honor. He could have chosen to be bitter and hateful, for he was in constant pain. He could have never reached out to us and welcomed us, but he did and consistently went out of his way for us and so many others. How he played the cards he had been dealt made all the difference. He took the road less traveled. And it made all the difference to me. Thank you, Tink. Even today, you and how you handled yourself, how you lived your life are not forgotten. You made your purpose known by your actions for they spoke so much louder than your soft, but gruffly spoken words. In memory of the many who sacrificed more than I can possibly understand. Each time you stand up for an ideal, you send forth a tiny ripple of hope. - Robert Kennedy  Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology. She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn. |
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 04:17 AM PDT  In the beginning the most valuable resource was land. The Land Run of 1889 in Oklahoma is a fine example. Sooners snuck over the line staking their claim on the most valuable asset. Because he who controlled the land, ruled the world. And by controlled I mean, farm, cultivate, and build. But over the last hundred years the game has changed. There was the Industrial Revolution where capital and machinery was king. Unions entered to provide the working class with the opportunity to negotiate rights like workplace safety, benefits, and income. Acting as a form of a balance for the working class. The world became automated, an assembly line, and once again the things changed. The Knowledge Revolution is now upon us where he who has the knowledge makes the rules. The Knowledge Class are in high demand even in our most recent recession. Highly skilled and qualified candidates are hard to come by as positions and job requirements become more specialized and specific. The war for talent really is the talent gap. Those within the knowledge class control their destiny and control the job marketplace. Silicon Valley is part of the driving force as technology and social media are driving this new era. By 2015, 60% of the jobs being created will require a specialized skill held by only 20% of the workforce. But this talent gap is more than just engineers. It's has global reach impacting countries as well as industries.  You can see from the graphic above that the talent gap is effecting nations and companies as well as industries across the globe. And as our economies and relationships become more wide spread outside of our own nations, this trend is likely to continue. Aside from hiring those specialized 20%, members of the Knowledge Class who are qualified for those key positions, the secret lies in developing candidate pipelines and solid employee growth strategies helping to develop current, engaged, and loyal employees in different ways. Theses two solutions are both long term solutions that companies must consider putting in place within their organizations before 2015 even if we are amongst a double dip recession. We simply can't wait. How will your organization adapt? How will you train your internal employees while also establishing long-standing relationships with candidates to fill positions in the long term? And by long term I mean 5, 7,10, and 15 years into the future? Is your organization, your front line managers, and your recruiting team prepared for the challenge? If not, where do we start? Photo Credit WeForum.org & Dummidumwits. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Blogging4Jobs To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment