No More Parts for the Machine: Transforming Performance in the Workforce

Workforce Development Posted By Joseph F. Bastian, 09/02/10 at 01:54 PM

As organizations and businesses begin to rebuild their infrastructure after the Great Collapse, I am hoping that they do not try to reconstruct the same old machine that broke down in the first place.

There is both an opportunity and a challenge that has been set before every business that is in the process of re-engineering its workforce. Each company has the opportunity to make a paradigm shift away from the traditional mechanical approach to organization development. By this I mean that we all have the opportunity to see our work culture in a whole new way; one of collaborative, interactive design and development, instead of a giant corporate machine that swaps out people like expendable parts to keep the system running.

David Guera discusses this ...

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Is a downtown festival an opportunity or an annoyance?

Communication Posted By Michael Angelo Caruso, 09/02/10 at 01:51 PM

Is a downtown festival an opportunity or an annoyance? Is it serious business or merely a weekend of entertainment?

The Ford Arts, Beats and Eats Festival (ABEF) makes its debut in a new city this weekend. Hosted by Pontiac for over a decade, the extravaganza moves south to what many people consider the entertainment capital of Michigan — Royal Oak. 

The festival will host a highly-ranked juried art show, over 200 acts on 10 stages, and will deliver up to 100,000 people a day (estimated) to the Royal Oak city grid. 

So, is the festival an opportunity or an annoyance?

Retailers, who normally complain about a lack of store traffic are screaming the loudest. Some hint that the festival will put them out of business. Employees in ...

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Reality Check: Where the Real Jobs Will be Created

Workforce Development Posted Joe Bastian, 08/20/10 at 10:30 AM

It is clear that efforts of workforce development agencies around the country have not yielded the kind of job growth in new business sectors for which they had hoped. It is about time for all of us to cut the noise of slick marketing campaigns and feel-good speeches about massive job creation in technology, energy, and healthcare sectors.

The latest McKinsey Report points out,

Many governments have been actively trying to promote growth, competitiveness, and employment. But policy makers who hope that advanced “clean” technologies can create work on a large scale will probably be disappointed, because these sectors are just too small to make an economy-wide difference. The local-business and household-services sectors are a much better bet: ...

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The Turning Tide

Workforce Development Posted Joe Bastian, 08/10/10 at 02:16 PM

In the waning days of summer, the political landscape of Michigan has yet to be determined. Sure, we know that it will be Snyder vs. Berneo from now until November, but what happens to us in the meantime?

The sad reality is that nothing will happen politically in the areas of workforce development and job creation until AFTER the election in 2011. With Michigan ranked 2nd in the nation in unemployment (Nevada just took our Number One slot), and fifth in home foreclosure, we cannot afford another six months of nothing from Lansing.

But we will have to wait for support from Lansing, all of which is unfortunate, sad, and true.

The key for all of us is not to wait. We all need to refocus our attention on the things we can control. Things are getting better ...

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What’s your favorite way to start a conversation?

Communication Posted By Michael Angelo Caruso, 07/22/10 at 10:49 AM

In my booklet, Hmmm . . . Little Ideas With BIG Results, I write “people are your greatest resource.” Everyone seems to believe this, but most people aren’t very graceful at starting conversations so they can get closer to their greatest resource. Basketball coach Phil Jackson writes that the champion Los Angeles Lakers were great trash talkers during games, but withdrawn and quiet during important meetings. Here are 5 Cool Ideas on how to start a conversation.

1. Work with a conversation-starting quota.

The next time you go out to lunch, pledge to yourself that you will start at least four conversations. You might speak to someone on the elevator, on the way to your car, while waiting to be seated at the ...

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A Phony Crisis in “London”

International Communication Posted , 07/12/10 at 02:30 PM

On a Monday morning not so long ago, I got up, went to my computer, and found I could not get to my email. I had checked it before going to bed, and there had been no problem. So I thought, “I’ll try again when I get back from my morning workout.”

But before I made it out the door, I was inundated with text and voicemail messages from business and personal contacts, asking me if I was OK. All of them had been sent an email stating the following: “I was in London, had lost my IDs and money and needed help right away!” My clients, business associates, and friends were asked — supposedly by me — to immediately wire money to a London hotel so that I could fly back home. Even my own family wanted to know if I was out of ...

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