Friday, June 23, 2006

10 well known secrets to success

Career counsellors, life coaches and school guidance counsellors agree that for any person, the following 10 well known secrets are required to either succeed in getting a job or creating an entrepreneurial opportunity for themselves.

They tell us that we need to set up our professional and personal life in a way that gives us the time to focus on our chosen career or develop a new business. This also means we need the freedom to take risks.
The following points are suggestions for creating success in your chosen professional path, courtesy of the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC):

1. Get Support – Ask friends and family to get involved in supporting you through your job search or new business venture.
2. Manage Time – Learn to manage your time effectively to include both work and personal down time.
3. Budget– Set a realistic budget to include all living and business expenses.
4. Get Organized - Set up a system where you can record and file bills and receipts for quick and easy access.
5. Find a Mentor – Enlist someone you trust and admire to discuss challenges and successes.
6. Network – Networking is an excellent source for making contact and trading information for career and business advancements.
7. Establish Healthy Lifestyle Habits – Get proper sleep, exercise regularly, follow a nutritional diet and balance fun with work.
8. Be Prepared – Plan for 'what if' scenarios. Assemble a list of recommended consultants who can help you with both technical issues as well as staffing needs. Update the information on the list regularly.
9. Make Learning a Life-long Passion – Continually increase your knowledge base to secure your value in the workplace.
10. Think Success – When you enjoy your work, other individuals observe the confidence you emit.

When planning your career direction, a career counsellor can help you wade through the maze of information and career ideas so you can choose a path best suited for you. More information is available on-line at www.ceric.ca.
- News Canada

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Despite general increase, May employment declined in manufacturing

Ottawa, ON -- Employment in Canada increased by an estimated 97,000 in
May 2006, matching the high reached in January 2002, Statistics Canada
reports in its latest Labour Force Survey. This increase drove the
unemployment rate down 0.3 percentage points to 6.1%, the lowest since
December 1974.

The sizeable gain in employment pushed the employment rate to an
all-time high of 63.2%. Over the first five months of the year,
employment has increased by 1.4% (+220,000).

All of May's employment increase was in full time, up 151,000, the
largest increase on record. This jump was due to new entrants to the
labour market obtaining full-time employment and coincides with fewer
people working part time.

While employment growth continued to surge ahead in Alberta, there were
also large increases in Ontario and Quebec in May. Strength in the
service industries in Ontario and Quebec more than offset continued
declines in manufacturing.

At the national level, employment fell in manufacturing as well as in
educational services. However, there were large increases in a number
of industries. The largest gains in May came in finance, insurance,
real estate and leasing; health care and social assistance; and public
administration. Employment is up in almost every industry over the last
12 months.

Men, women and youths shared in May's employment gains. The healthy
showing from youths is a continuation of the strong trend that began in
September 2005.

With strength in full-time employment and a falling unemployment rate,
wages continue to rise. The average hourly wage in May was up 3.8% from
12 months ago, compared to the most recent 2.4% increase in the
Consumer Price Index. Average hourly wages jumped by 7.3% in Alberta's
tight labour market.

WIDESPREAD INDUSTRY GAINS

Employment increased sharply in finance, insurance, real estate and
leasing in May, up 31,000, bringing gains since the start of the year
to 55,000 (+5.5%). The increase this month was concentrated in Quebec.

In May, 23,000 more people were working in health care and social
assistance. Compared to 12 months ago, employment in the industry is up
3.4%, with the bulk of the increase in hospitals.

Employment rose by an estimated 22,000 in public administration, all at
the municipal and provincial levels. Despite the increase in May, there
were declines earlier in the year, leaving employment in the industry
little changed from 12 months ago.

In May, there were also more workers in accommodation and food services
(+17,000), the first increase so far this year. Most of the gain
occurred in Alberta.

There was a decline of 22,000 in manufacturing in May, with losses
spread between Ontario and Quebec. Since the end of 2002 when the
downward trend for the industry began, employment has fallen by 8.0%
(-187,000).

ALBERTA BOOM CONTINUES

In Alberta, employment rose by 32,000 in May, pushing the employment
rate to a record high of 71.4%. Gains were fuelled by an increase in
the population as workers migrated to a province where labour demand is
high. In May, the unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to
3.4%.

Alberta's added employment was primarily in the service industries,
particularly in health care and social assistance; finance, insurance,
real estate and leasing and in accommodation and food services.
Employment also increased in construction. Natural resources was little
changed in May, but has jumped by 14.0% since last December. Employment
in Alberta has grown by 4.2% so far this year — the fastest rate of
growth of all the provinces.

Following moderate growth in the first four months of the year,
employment in Ontario increased by 34,000 in May, pushing the
unemployment rate down 0.3 percentage points to 5.9%.

The manufacturing sector in Ontario continued to shed employees, with a
decline of 13,000 in May. Since the start of the year, employment in
manufacturing in Ontario has declined by 2.8% (-30,000). Ontario,
however, has been able to weather declines in manufacturing thanks to
strength from the service sector. Employment in retail and wholesale
trade continued its upward trend, increasing by 26,000 in May.
Professional, scientific and technical services also contributed to
May's employment increases with an additional 21,000 workers. In
contrast, employment was down in educational services (-17,000), yet
remains 3.4% above the level from 12 months ago.

Employment increased by 31,000 in Quebec in May, pushing the
unemployment rate down 0.4 percentage points to 7.9%, the second lowest
rate in the last 30 years. As with Alberta and Ontario, the employment
increase was spurred by strength in the service sector which more than
offset a decline of 12,000 in manufacturing. The largest increases were
found in finance, insurance, real estate and leasing, up 20,000 as well
as information, culture and recreation (+16,000).

In New Brunswick, the unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in May, a record
low for the province. The 0.5 percentage point decline in the
unemployment rate, however, was the result of adult women and men
leaving the labour force rather than an increase in employment.

RECORD FULL-TIME GAINS IN MAY

Full-time employment jumped by 151,000 in May, well in excess of the
previous record increase. These gains were widespread, but were most
pronounced in Ontario where full-time work increased by 80,000.

In both Alberta and Quebec, nearly all of the employment increase in
May came from full time (+28,000 and +27,000, respectively). While
full-time employment in Alberta has grown by 5.0% since the start of
the year, in Quebec, full time remains largely unchanged.

Nationally, full-time employment has grown by 3.1% from 12 months ago.
At the same time, part-time employment declined by 1.2%. Overall, total
employment has grown by 2.3% over the period, suggesting that many
part-timers may have switched to full-time work and that new labour
force entrants are finding full-time employment.

YOUTHS DRIVE EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN ONTARIO

In May, employment among youths (aged 15 to 24) in Canada increased by
25,000 (+1.0%). The bulk of this increase for youths was in Ontario
where they contributed the lion's share of the overall employment
increase (+24,000). So far this year, employment growth among youths in
Ontario has been strong, up 2.6%. The same is true for Alberta, where
youth employment has jumped by 5.4% since the start of the year.

Despite a decline in May for youths in British Columbia, youth
employment has been on an upward trend for 22 months. Since August
2004, youth employment in British Columbia has grown by 16.3%
(+49,000). At the same time, their participation rate increased by 5.4
percentage points to 66.4% in May.

(Note: From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour
market information about people aged 15 to 24 years who were attending
school full-time in March and intending to return to school in the
fall. Survey results for May give an early indication of the summer job
market for older students aged 20 to 24, however, many students aged 15
to 19 are not yet out of school for the summer. Survey results for
June, July and August will provide further insight into the summer job
market. The published estimates are not seasonally adjusted, therefore
comparisons can only be made on a year-over-year basis.)

Older students aged 20 to 24 encountered a similar summer job market
this May compared to May 2005. The employment rate edged down slightly
(-0.3 percentage points) to 61.9% from the 15-year high reached last
May.

EMPLOYMENT AMONG ADULT WOMEN STRENGTHENS

In May, employment for adult women (aged 25 and over) increased by
32,000 with full-time gains more than offsetting declines in part time.
So far this year, employment has grown at a faster pace for this group
than for adult men. Overall, employment among adult women was up by
2.0% (+126,000), while for adult men, it increased by 0.7% (+52,000).

Following a decline in the participation rate among adult women in
2005, participation has rebounded 0.5 percentage points since February
2006, hitting 61.3% in May.

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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Your Key 20 Percent by Bert Webb

Your Key 20 Percent

80_20aOne concept that I try to incorporate into my life on a continual basis is the 80/20 rule. It just makes so much sense. Stating that 80% of the profit of anything comes from 20% of the work or effort, this concept is also known as Pareto's Principle and is named after the Italian Economist who discovered it. It closely holds true in many different contexts:

  • 80% of one's income comes from 20% of one's clientele
  • 80% of customer complaints come from 20% of a store's customers
  • 80% of a school's discipline problems come from 20% of the students
  • Cleaning 20% of one's house brings 80% of the satisfaction found therein
  • You gain 80% of the knowledge in a book by reading only 20% of it
The exact percentages are never exactly 80/20 and fluctuate from example to example, but they will be close. In our quest to be more productive, this concept holds the key to real success.

Each of us brings a variety of talents and skills to our chosen profession.
But there is usually one skill — or set of skills — at which we are especially proficient that makes us successful at work. Some have estimated that of all our skills, talents, and abilities, this one set, at which we are extremely proficient, comprises approximately 20% of our total abilities. This 20% results in 80% of our personal effectiveness.

To truly excel, one should identify which of our skills comprise our key 20% , focus our improvement efforts on them, and use and exploit them to our — and our employer’s — benefit.
In other words, we specialize. We don’t ignore our skills that lie outside that 20%. If we did, they would wither and atrophy, robbing us of an additional 20% of effectiveness. The other 80% is, instead, outsourced or delegated. Here are some examples:

  • Those chefs on the Food Network concentrate on the cooking while assistants set up, clean up, and do the dishes.

  • The surgeon focuses on the surgery and a subordinate physician closes.

  • The entertainer sings while the graphic artists, sound engineers, financial
    managers, and agents make CD artwork, edit the sound tracks, pay the
    singer’s bills, and schedule and promote personal appearances.

  • Fighter pilots fly the missions and work on improving their flying abilities
    while maintenance crews maintain, repair, and refuel the aircraft.

When one concentrates on his or her 20% spike, not only does productivity and efficacy improve, but one becomes a more valuable commodity within the organization. More respect is given and a greater latitude is offered as one goes about their assigned tasks.

In my organization, one particular supervisor is well known for driving morale down, putting fear in the hearts of employees, and increasing employee turnover. She is still highly respected within my organization because of her 20% spike. She is a turn-around specialist. Give her a poor performing department and it is known that within a short time, she will turn it around and into a high performance award-winning machine that other departments envy. She stays a short time, produces the results, and then moves on to the next challenge. Her effect on staff and morale is forgiven. She is highly valued and is given one challenging department after another. Others handle clean-up.

Look at your profession and responsibilities.

What is your key 20%? How can you build on and improve it?

What less important things can be delegated or outsourced to give you more time to work with and improve your 20%?



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Here are a few quotes of inspiration and some food for thought about work and life ... CARPE DIEM (seize the day)

"Networking is more than meeting the right people. It's about connecting with their purpose and helping them achieve their goals. It's about connectin them with their success."

  • Craig Elias: Canada's Mr. Networking
  • "So you ask “what can I do to build confidence in myself”? Start by discovering who you are (your Personal Brand), which will allow you to understand what you need to do in order to gain this confidence you seek. Once discovered, it is all about repetition, through telling yourself that you are unique and “you have nothing to lose.” Saying this will help you be more outgoing, which translates into confidence."

  • Dan Schawbel
  • "Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will manifest in our lives. Unfortunately most of us are completely unaware of this fact and we do not monitor our thoughts with the care needed so that we can create in our lives the results we say we want. Since the great majority of people do not feel worthy and deserving of abundant good fortune, radiant good health and total success in all areas of their lives that overriding thought pattern controls the results people get. The first order of business of anyone who wants to enjoy success in all areas of his or her life is to take charge of the internal dialogue they have and only think, say and behave in manner consistent with the results they truly desire. - Sidney Madwed

    "You cannot escape the results of your thoughts. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." - James Lane Allen

    "In football you always get judged on your last game. Whoever you are, or how amazing you are, it's the last game that everyone has seen." - Thierry Henry

    "80% of the stuff you get you are never going to need again. 20% you do need, and you need to prioritize its importance."

  • Julie Mahan
  • "It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project." - Napoleon Hill

    "The only thing that doesn't change is change itself." - Heraclitus (You can't step into the same river twice, the old Greek said, because the water keeps moving. - If you're clinging to your old reliable tools, you're not just standing still, you're actually moving backwards from the point of view of those who are moving on with the river of technological change.)

    "The secret of man's success resides in his insight into the moods of people, and his tact in dealing with them." - J. G. Holland

    "To put distance between you and your competition, you must become more VALUABLE... not just more PRODUCTIVE."

  • E. R. Haas
  • "When one door closes another door opens; but we do often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." - Alexander Graham Bell

    "Successful people are not necessary smarter than anyone else, they are simply more effective."

  • Ross Mackay
  • "You'll never achieve real success unless you like what you're doing."

  • Dale Carnegie