You Need New Glasses –

You Need New Glasses –

A 2006 study showed that over 61% of the population or 177 million people in the United States need some sort of vision correction according to Jobson Research. Another study showed more people than ever are wearing glasses or contacts. A majority of 61 percent in the population reported wearing glasses, contact lenses or other reading or visual aids occasionally in 2012, versus 57 percent in 2001.

It is amazing what glasses and contacts can do to change someone’s life and perspective on the world. If you are anything like the 50% of people that really do need vision correction you know what I mean. Those days when you don’t have your glasses or contacts, or if you are like me, you can’t live without them, it really does make big difference in our lives. We take for granted the view of the world that we have because of this technology. Thanks to Arun, my ‘eye guy’ and all of the other O.D’s, eye guys and gal’s out there.

The perspective of the world that we get when we have our glasses or contacts on is the right one, it gives us the true picture of what is in front of us. The trees actually do have leaves on them and there are actually eyes on the faces of our friends and family! We slip these things on and boom, there is a new world in front of us! They give us a new perspective, the real perspective of the world.

I think we all can use a new perspective, new lenses at times. We get stuck looking at things through the wrong lens, the wrong prescription, or through a lens that someone else imposes on us.  How you do you view your job, your clients, your family, your friends.? How much do you worry about the way that they view you?  We seem to get stuck seeing the world through the view of others, through the view of what could happen, through the view of what someone else wants for our life.

What if you made the choice to put on a new set of glasses, to see the world through a different perspective. A perspective that says, “I have value to provide to the world”, to my clients, to my peers, to my family and friends. A new lens gives you the confidence that who you are is enough. A new lens that allows you to feel and know that you are a blessing to those around you and that you have great things to share with the world.

We have the opportunity every day, every minute to change our vision prescription, the lens in which we view the value that we bring to the world. Don’t let someone else color your vision, or put the wrong lens on your life. Change your own lens, your own perspective of who you are and what you bring to the day. You are here to be a blessing to others and you have value to give. Enjoy the real view, smile and put on the new lenses anytime you need them!

By the way, my glasses prescription is -7.25. So I need all the help I can get😊

#ChangeYourView

Friday Fuel: “Fear is a Liar”

Fear is a Liar –

Have you ever experienced a place, read a book, been to an event, heard a song, listened to a speech, or watched a movie that either during or after you feel like you can literally run through a brick wall, fly or do just about anything that you set your mind to? That feeling of confidence, assurance, and strength that no matter what happens you have the strength to accomplish your goals, your mission.

What an amazing feeling and experience! Maybe I am alone in this, but I seek those feelings out more than I care to admit. We have more access to motivational videos, speeches, songs, and experiences now than ever in the history of time. If we are honest many of the talking heads of the day start to say the same thing and they start to sound the same as well, but we keep listening and longing for that feeling of security, assurance, and power. Not that any of that is bad and it is a blessing to have so many positive and encouraging ways to be lifted up.

The challenge comes when all of the songs, the sermons, the movies come to an end and we come down from the mountain top. We get back to the grind of our day. The thoughts of doubt start to creep back in and we have to wrestle with the fears of keeping up, success, failure, the deadlines and responsibilities of life that are presented to us.

We start to question if we can do the things that are even our best qualities and we start to look inward to see what is wrong with us vs. taking action in confidence to help others and accomplish our goals. We let fear slow us down and sometimes even stop us in our tracks. We forget the truth that we are all here for a great purpose and have the ability to do amazing things! We forget that we are all gifted in special ways to encourage others, make them smile and create incredible experiences.

The reality is that most of the Fears that we feel in our day to day life are much more of a lie than the truth. They are artificial fears, doubts, and lies that are more “Virtual Reality” than anything else. We let them in, we let them become imposed on us by others and events that have no malice or even intention of fear but we take them in and process them as fear. We believe the lie.

There is a champion over the lies of fear and that champion is “Action”. The reaction to Fear is normally to stop, to say wait, hold on, let me look and see what is wrong with me, what is wrong with my company, my job, my friend, family. Taking that first next step over the feeling of fear is the best first step ever. Taking “Action” as soon as you feel fear is the right response and the truth over the feeling of fear.  I would submit to you that many of the best things that have happened in your life, came after feeling Fear and taking that next Action Step. Imagine what could be next!

We all know in our hearts that Fear is a Liar and Action is the way to defeat that Fear!

#TakeAction ( A big Thank You goes out to Zach Williams who has an amazing song called “Fear is a Liar”. If you have not heard it check it out and be encouraged! https://youtu.be/1srs1YoTVzs )

Friday Fuel – “Gratitude Wins”

Gratitude Wins

You have heard the saying “Keep it simple”. Yes, there is another word that is often added to the end of that saying but that does not, nor has ever, really helped me understand the saying any better. Actually to the contrary.

The new year is often a time when we all try to change things in a big way! We put our foot down and say “this year is going to be different”. Sometimes those are physical changes and the gym floor feels your feet for the first time in a long time. Other times the change comes with financial goals or a new job that you are going to work “extra hard” to get.  The list goes on and on as you know.

We all get caught up in what should be our resolution or how we are going to make 2019 the best year ever.

While all those thoughts/changes can be positive, I know if you are like me you can miss a very important, simple thought.

The fact of the matter is that all of us reading this and those around us are very blessed. Crazy to think that even if we don’t believe it, the fact is still true. We have so much to be thankful for and grateful for even in the very spot that we sit, stand or walk every day. Yes, we can be thankful and actually grateful for where we are in January when everyone around us wants to change.

Change can be great and needed in many situations. Yes, I am a big believer in getting better every day, but let’s not forget that in every situation one of the best ways, simple ways to change is with a smile, an acknowledgment that in the end Gratitude Wins.

Life Lessons from my 4-Year-Old

Gymnastics is Wednesday night right in the middle of the week and late at night. Late is a relative term but for a family of 3 kids all under the age of 6, 7 pm – 8 pm is late. Parents you can relate.

My Son Graham is almost 4 and as wide open as they come, which is the best thing in the world for a boy at that age. He is the life of the party and does not have a filter in terms of what is said and what is done.

Being the one in the family that has never met a stranger and not afraid to say anything that is on his mind, last week at Gymnastics he went right up to a little girl in his class and said;

“Hey, do you want to marry me?”

Much to the girls surprise I can imagine, she looked right at him in the appropriate fashion and said in a matter-of-fact way;

“No”.

The conversation ended there between the two of them as in perfect 4-year-old fashion Graham was off to a new conquest. Who can blame him, there was a trampoline that was empty and needed to be jumped on.

Later that evening on the way home my wife in her infinite memory and wisdom, I mean that, she is crazy smart and remembers everything, asked Graham about the conversation and I am so glad she did… Here is their conversation below. See if you can hear the life lesson from a 4-year-old!

Mom: “Graham, did you ask that little girl to marry you?”

Graham: “I did mom.”

Mom: “What did she say.”

Graham: “She said No.”

Mom: “Are you ok with that buddy?”

Graham: “It’s ok Mom, no big deal, I’ll just ask her again next week.”

Mom and Me: Looking at each other with a big smile thinking the same thing… We love that kid!

Maybe it is me and the fact that he is my son, but maybe, just maybe we can all take a little nugget of confidence, persistence and ‘no-big-deal’ attitude from my little guy Graham.

We are all going to hear “No” and have some form of rejection almost every day of our lives. We each have a choice…. We can put our head down defeated, or we can jump to the next trampoline of life, smile, ask again, and keep hammering away with confidence and our head held high!

I look forward to all the life lessons that I will continue to learn from Graham, Jake and Natalie. If you did know they are awesome kids. Yes, I know that I am extremely biased, and that my friends is 100% appropriate.

And Remember: #CoffeeHelps

Fear is the Enemy of Hiring Success

We have all heard it, almost every day now, the unemployment rate is at its lowest in years! To be exact it is at its lowest in 49 years but who is counting. 3.7% as of the October number and that is overall unemployment. If you go a bit more granular and look at the Information Technology sector, Dice (the job-site that many Tech pros use today) said in May 2018 that the IT unemployment rate was 1.9%.

What do we make of these numbers today? You can get a different opinion on the data from just about every person that you ask in the world today and an even wider opinion when speaking with HR professionals or others even hiring managers themselves.

Some will tell you that the lower unemployment numbers make it much harder to hire the talent that they need for their firm. Others will tell you that the lower unemployment numbers mean that they must now be more selective in their hiring process because they are only now looking for the best of the best and can’t afford to make a mistake.

Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton has said, “No one is hiring. They are creating jobs, but they aren’t filing them, there is clearly a gap in skills.” This comes as there are a record 6.6 million open job postings in the month of November 2018.

I would submit to you that none of the sentiments above are wrong. Diane’s comments about roles being “created and not filled”, hits very close to home in the world that I live in from a Talent Solutions perspective.

Every day I see companies posting jobs while having no defined strategy or streamlined process to fill the role, and what is even worse, they hamstring their recruiting teams and hiring managers with undo pressure to fill the role with the ‘exact’ fit to a job description, which more than likely the hiring manager did not even write. And wait for it…. a job description for a person or skill set that doesn’t exist in the modern world today.  Or what is most likely the case, the job description is a 3 for 1, or we need 1 person to do 3 jobs.  

In the talent market that we are in today the companies that are winning and will continue to win,are the ones that create and give the most freedom and trust to the hiring managers / decision makers themselves to make quick Yes or No calls on candidates. This freedom requires that the decisions for a Yes or No hiring decision is not one that is based on Fear but in Trust from the top down leadership in an organization.

Many of the issues that companies face today in terms of landing the talent they want come from a place of Fear. Fear that the candidate they select will not work out, that the blame for the bad hire will fall on one individual and that is something that in many companies is not tolerated. So how does this Fear show itself daily inmost companies…. It shows itself in the unending interview process. The countless phone screens, Skype meetings, face to face interviews, assessment after assessment and the process continues over and over and over. And just when you think the process is over the candidate hears; “would you mind speaking with just one more person”! Insert the screaming emoji now. 

Let’s all be honest and admit that hiring, selecting the right candidate for a specific role is not a science. There is not an exact set of pre-requisites that will guarantee success. Yes, I know that is hard to swallow, but this is the truth. We all make the best decision that we can based on the facts in front of us and the best interest of our team and firm. If more companies would empower their hiring managers with the trust and confidence to make hiring decisions quickly then more jobs would be filled, more candidates would have a better experience and more work would get done. 

Fear is the Enemy of success in most every aspect of life and I would submit to you one of the biggest enemy’s in terms of the hiring process today.

Trust is and will always be the way to win. 

“Casting a Wide Net”

“Casting a Wide Net”

If I have heard it once I have heard it one hundred times over my time helping organizations find the best Healthcare IT, IT and Digital Creative talent. This is a phrase that is heard across the board from almost every hiring manager, or leader that is looking for talent. This phrase is standard when we start to discuss a new position with a hiring manager. In fact if you search this phrase in the dictionary… Wait, what is a dictionary, I thought that was just called google, these days.  If you do search this phrase you won’t see a mention of fishing or something of that sort you will, however, see this:

Definition of cast/spread one’s net wide

: to try many different things so that one will have the best chance of finding what one wants “Companies are casting their nets wide in search of young, talented employees.”

Even the writers at Merriam-Webster… Yes a Dictionary… define the saying with a reference to Talent.

This saying almost certainly originated in the world of fishing in hopes of putting out a net so wide that you would be able to bring in the largest amount of fish. Please make sure to notice the key word in the phrase, the largest ‘amount’ of fish.

In the world of Talent Acquisition the notion of the “Right” talent being hard to come by is about as standard as the fact that gravity holds your feet to the earth. The “amount” of talent is certainly out there… but I think that we can agree that the “Right” talent has never been harder to find.

What seems to be lost on some of the most intelligent minds of our time AKA: Hiring Managers, is the fact that just getting a large pool of candidates to glance at for 2-5 seconds a resume, does not actually accomplish the goal that they would like to see achieved.

The goal that most companies and individual hiring managers have is to actually fill the role they have open with the most qualified individual at the time that the role is open. This act of courting the right candidate and actually Selling the right candidate on the opportunity at hand is paramount in the world of talent today. The Courting, Selling and Onboarding of the “right” talent is a process that has actually become more difficult in the current “Bull” market of talent that we are in today. On the other hand Finding or more accurately (identifying individuals with specific skill sets) has actually become easier with the technological advancements in recruiting search tools.

What continues to be a trend in our world today however is to fall back on the fact that, “Casting a Wide Net” has never been. What unfortunately is normally meant by this saying in our Recruiting / Talent world today is this: The a company or hiring manager will engage multiple Search Firms for the same role or use multiple firms across the same company for a similar business unit or LOB. This way of “Casting a Wide Net” is about as old and antiquated as saying that a company is going to continue to use Dial-Up internet or a Fax machine because that is how things have always been done and they need to keep costs low.

Yes I have just called something out that is a common practice at what would seem to be 99% of large to mid-size companies today. And yes I make the statement that it is not just antiquated thinking but I also will go so far as to say that because of this thinking and action many companies are missing some of the most qualified talent that is ‘not in the market today’.

Almost all firms today have access to the same talent at large or on the existing ‘legacy’ job boards. Job boards are dying at a rapid pace these days and the talent that most companies are looking for don’t reside on the existing job boards of old. The talent that companies and hiring managers are looking for…. Wait for it…. That talent is working! They are not waiting for an email, LinkedIn message or just casually on the job boards just expecting a call. The “Right” talent to fill most jobs today must be Courted, must be Sold, and must be connected with not with a “Wide Net” but with a laser focus on messaging and Care.

The new age of sourcing and finding talent is all about insuring that the company and hiring managers Care about the Talent they seek. This starts with making sure that the message to the desired talent is unique and focused on the audience you want to bring to the company. But… The action cannot just stop at talk. Companies today need to think about the entire Interview, Onboarding or Let-down process and insure that the process matches their message of care.

This is best done not with a Wide Net but with a Sniper like focus. The old way of thinking and sourcing….multiple firms calling as many candidates as possible with the goal of trying to win a battle of submitting as many candidates as possible as fast as they can is a race to the bottom in the Talent market today.

Unfortunately many companies are stuck in the Old Way of Thinking and continue to “Cast a Wide Net”. These companies get caught up in the race to the bottom in terms of cost and quality.

The companies who choose just one or a select few Talent Solution partners, who care about the message to the Right Talent, will be the ones who win in the Bull market of talent today.

So be careful ‘Casting a Wide Net’.

The 1st Decision

The 1^st Decision

 

Every Morning…. Every Morning….We all that have that 1^st Thought, that 1^st Decision, to get up or to have that next thought rule our mind. That thought and feeling that justifies just one more minute of sleep, one more hit of the snooze button. It is a reassuring thought that we all have this choice, every morning. We all get the same clean slate every morning to make the 1^st Decision, one of “I WIN” or “I Give In”.

What a beautiful thing to know that no matter what your job may be or situation in life, that you can start your day off with a WIN just by making the 1^st Decision the right one: Get Up and Get Going Early! I have found through speaking with many friends, co-workers, and just passersby in the world that a few thing holds true for the masses: People Love Their Sleep! And to take it a step further, people believe that they are owed their sleep.

I too enjoy a night of great sleep and rest. That being said I don’t know too many people that have a Passion for Sleep or who feel that they are Owed 8 hours of sleep that would end up on my list of people that I admire, look up too or would want to follow in their footsteps. – Let me ask you this, who do you know that talks about hitting their snooze button or sleeping in that is also someone that you would say, “That is someone that I want to follow, someone that I want to trust with my career and success”.

The real answer, if you are being honest with yourself at the core is that those “snoozers” are not the people that you want to follow or who you want leading you into battle in any endeavor. No, in-fact the person that you want leading you or guiding you in any facet of life is someone that is disciplined and is passionate about hard work and sacrifice. Hard work, Sacrifice, Discipline, Passion are all words at the heart of what each of us would say are things that bring about some sort of emotion from the deep reaches of our being. We all want to be identified with some of these words and have people not only feel that we embody these words but that they see these things in our action. The question that each person has to come to grips with if they want to be identified by these words (Hard Work, Sacrifice, Discipline and Passion) and become the success that they talk about is this: Are you willing to make the 1^st Decision Every Morning?

Are you willing to make the Decision to set your alarm early? If Yes… Then set your alarm earlier than you actually imagine is possible in your mind. I am not going to give you a time, you know what that time is for you. And when you do this… Actually wake up at that time. Make the Decision to wake up and don’t let some “American Dream” / 1^st world ‘right’ to more sleep suck your success away, day by day. You have the choice, you get the honor to Decide. Now go set that Alarm and Get After It!

 

This post was inspired by my early coffee experiments and a great Book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink. I highly suggest it! ( A little taste of the book below. )

 “The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win—you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life.” 
― Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

What is Average?

What is AVERAGE?

 

What is AVERAGE?   Not too good, but also not too bad?…”Just Right”, some would say.  I am sure that we all have our definitions of this word, but what does the dictionary say?  Merriam-Webster says that AVERAGE is “a level that is typical of a group, class, or series: a middle point between extremes”.

AVERAGE and MIDDLE-POINT.………..typical.   These are all words that are used to describe things or impart a value on people or objects. I would submit to you that the word AVERAGE is not just a word to describe something, but also our TRUE ENEMY when it comes to success in our lives and work.

AVERAGE is the common, or the default, or the sometimes ‘easy’ way to go in our day-to-day lives. It is more often than not what is rewarded at work.   The AVERAGE person does not raise their hand to take on a project that is in trouble or has failed multiple times before.   And, guess what?   That person who did not raise their hand has no chance to fail or succeed.  In most companies today this would ensure that they are safe. I say ‘rewarded’, because the AVERAGE person goes about his or her day- to-day with the mindset that their job is ‘just a job’, a means to an end, or something they just have to ‘get through’. And again, guess what’s more?   Most companies are so busy that these people do just that; they get by.  Do we all feel this way from time to time and have days where this happens?  Yes we do!  That feeling, that thought of let’s just get by, or let’s just go along with the crowd today and be unhappy at work is, by all accounts, AVERAGE at its very core!!!  Average is the enemy.   It is our default.  It is the easy way and the way that is most acceptable in our daily lives.

 

What is not AVERAGE is the person that has a fire for what they do, the person that makes the choice to have that fire in their belly for life and others.  What is not AVERAGE is the person that makes the choice to give to others around them, and the one who tries to lift others out of the pit of AVERAGE . What is not AVERAGE is the person that raises his or her hand to take on something that needs to be done.  Or, better yet, something that has a chance of failing or seen as impossible by the AVERAGE. AVERAGE is not always bad, but I ask you to think about it as the enemy of your success.  Fight AVERAGE at all costs.  Get up early.  Work harder.   Smile more.   Give more hugs.  Give more high fives… Try it for a day and see how it changes your world and those around you!

All My Best,

GP

The Golden Rule? Not so Fast!

The Golden Rule? Not so fast!

Yes, I am talking about the same rule that you have heard thousands of times and what you learned as a good boy or girl way back in your childhood days. It is the rule or thought that transcends religions or basic human preservation across the globe. “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”.

All that being said I don’t write this to change your thinking or in any way say that the Rule or Thought above is wrong.  No, not in any way am I saying that the Golden Rule is wrong, but what I am saying is let’s consider what it really means in the world of business in regards to caring for our customers. Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of reading a few great books that have a consistent theme to them, as with many ‘business books’.  Side Note: Is it me or do 90% of the business books out there say the same thing in 1000 different ways? Ok, back to the topic at hand. The great books of Napoleon Hill and many of the books today all show us ways to stop thinking of our own goals and look at those of our customer. AKA: Self vs. Customer.

This brings me to the topic of the Golden Rule. If we look at the words in the Golden Rule, they make great sense if we are looking for self-preservation and self-satisfaction. To a person and in our own personal happiness the rule holds true and we can live it and be fine. But, now consider this from a business perspective, where your “customer/client” is the one that must be satisfied. If we take the Golden Rule in its current wording we can’t help but see the selfish attitude that may come from this. Do we really think that our customer is thinking about what is best for us before they know how much we care or what we can deliver for them? Not so fast. You can get to this point to be sure, but this takes time, caring and trust. But, if we really do (Care and Respect) our customer and their best interest and truly believe that we can add value to them with our product, we need to change the wording of the Golden Rule.  The change may go something like this: “Do unto others as they would like things to be done to them”.

This change puts the Focus, Care and Respect not on us but on our client/customer. I don’t take credit for this thought as there are many books that speak to this point including: 1. “Wired To Care” 2. “Emotional Intelligence 2.0”, just to name a few of my recent reads.  I highly recommend both of these books as they walk you through how you can better see the Golden Rule from your clients  point of view.

A few sample questions that may help you see the Golden Rule from a Client Perspective:

1. Do our processes help make your job easier?
2. How would you like us to proceed?
3. Is there anything that we can change to make doing business with us more fun?
4. What can we change in our process to help you meet your targets?
5. Are there things in our process that you would like to know more about so that we can be more Transparent?

At the end of the day, the world of business is changing. Our thinking on the Golden Rule must change as well if we are going to meet the needs and desires of our customers moving forward. Care about your client first and make their life easier and you will have a client for life.

GP.

Windows 7 Deployment Technician ( Winston-Salem, NC )

Windows 7 Deployment Technician

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Duration: 3-5 Months

 

Our client in North Carolina is in the process of upgrading their current enterprise environment  from XP to Windows 7. For this project they are looking for experienced technicians that have experience imaging, deploying and troubleshooting both Windows XP as well as Windows 7 operating systems. Experience working on a Win 7 deployment in the past with past references that can speak to performance will be highly advantageous to the selected candidates.

 

If interested please contact: gphares@ettaingroup.com

 

 

Experience Needed:

• 3-5 Years as a Desktop Engineer / Hardware Engineer
• 3-5 Years’ experience troubleshooting Windows OS
• Past Windows 7 deployment or imaging experience
• Excellent desk side customer service skills
• References that can speak to past Windows OS image or deployment experience
• Experience deploying new OS using removable / standalone media, DVD or USB
• Experience using Lite-Touch Deployment methods
• Ability to Travel up to 2 weeks out of a month

 

Nice To Have:

• Experienced Win OS Deployment using SCCM
• Experience deployments via PXE
• Multiple Win 7 Deployments