Generation Flux: No Water Wings Allowed

Workforce Development Posted , 02/02/12 at 11:24 AM

It’s been said that the only real constant is change. If that is true, things have been VERY consistent over the past few years.

It seems that we are in a constant state of flux, as old businesses disappear and new industries crop up. This uncertain trend has a major impact on the psychology behind our regional workforce, as well. This new generation of workers has been called Generation Flux, and they represent an entirely new mindset for how people work and live in this New Economy.

The new profile for GenFluxers is people who are flexible, adaptable, and open-minded to all the changes that are taking place around them. In a recent article by Robert Safian, "This Is Generation Flux: Meet The Pioneers Of The New (And Chaotic) ...

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Confidence or Contemplation

Investment Posted , 02/02/12 at 09:55 AM

After being in the finance industry for many years, beginning my practice at a major Wall Street brokerage, starting my own firm, investing millions and millions of dollars through the worst markets in decades, teaching portfolio management at the university and graduate levels to hundreds of students, traveling throughout the world, conversing with countless contemporaries, attending many on many conferences, having a wide range of investment professionals work with and for me, and dedicating myself to studying my craft, I have realized only one essential truth: It is better to have contemplation than "confidence."

Finance is an immense field with millions of individuals working within and around it. There are investment advisors and investment ...

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5 Cool Ideas to Get Teams Started

Communication Posted , 01/29/12 at 09:30 AM

The first step to assembling a team can be challenging when team members have different backgrounds, unique personal agendas, and unrelated methodologies. If it is difficult to get busy people to sit at the same table, it can be much more challenging to get a team emotionally centered. Here are 5 Cool Ideas to get teams started. 

1.  A meaningful quote can provide solidarity and purpose. 
We know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what is a word worth? Well, a word can be invaluable if it helps center a team on a theme. A special word can unify and educate. Introduce a word every day and over time, people will increase their vocabularies. Share a combination of words like a quote or a song ...

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Three Ways to Leverage Messaging in Your Next Corporate Meeting

Marketing Posted , 01/24/12 at 02:07 PM

Corporate annual meetings are a great opportunity for executives to share important messages that are part of their overall communications strategy. All too often, companies look at these meetings as solely an opportunity to update their employees about goals, numbers, and the fiscal focus for the year ahead, while communications is left in the dust. That unfortunate, shortsighted approach creates a visible missed opportunity that will leave a gaping hole in the internal communications program for the year ahead.

Here are some simple tips for executives to think about before the next corporate meeting:

• Think beyond the numbers: When addressing revenue goals, it is pertinent to think beyond the ...

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No One Over 21, Please

Workforce Development Posted , 01/24/12 at 02:01 PM

Imagine it — a 21-hour work week. How much different would your life be if you only worked 3 days a week? Well, the idea is out there, folks. And it doesn’t seem so far-fetched, once you start to look into the concept a little bit more.

The New Economics Foundation, an international workforce organization, recently published a report advocating for a 21-hour workweek in Europe. This report proposes a radical change to our standard 40-hour workweek. Their vision is this:

“Moving towards much shorter hours of paid work offers a new route out of the multiple crises we face today. Many of us are consuming well beyond our economic means and well beyond the limits of the natural environment, yet in ways that fail ...

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Deadline approaching to file “Unclaimed Property Voluntary Disclosure Agreement”

Accounting Posted , 01/24/12 at 01:56 PM

Your business may be one of the over 350,000 companies with Michigan operations who recently received a notice from the Michigan Department of Treasury, urging you to file an “Unclaimed Property Voluntary Disclosure Agreement” (VDA).  Many of you may have questions surrounding the notice and how to comply.  The following question and answer segment is designed to assist with addressing some of these concerns.

Question #1:

Q: What is Unclaimed Property?

A: Unclaimed property is generally any fixed and determinable legal obligation owed to another that has not been paid out to them prior to the expiration of the dormancy period.  The top four unclaimed property types are:
(a)  accounts ...

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