P/Strada
TO THINK. TO PLANTO WIN.
 
          P/STRADA
                4033 Central Street
           Kansas City, Missouri  64111
                 816-256-4577
                 www.pstrada.com
 
In This Issue
How to Find Talent
How Does Positive Thinking Work
Planning to Win
Fun and Motivation in the Workplace

How to Find Talent  

As the job market grows more competitive, so does the employer's quest to find the best talent. Company leaders have begun to realize that elevated employee talent leads to increased levels of productivity and overall profit.  To improve and strengthen a company's structure, employees should be assigned to positions that require specific talents.

find talentStudies have shown that the most talented job candidates tend to display six characteristics that cause them to stand out in job performance:
  • They show a record of having been at the top of the ladder in job performance
  • They are creative and inventive
  • They are decision-makers who follow through
  • They have the capacity to effectively motivate others
  • They can adapt to change
  • They are solution oriented
In recent years, an abundance of helpful tools have been devised to assist in separating the real talent from employees or candidates who lack the qualities needed to make your company excel with maximum efficiency.

For example, software was developed to help HR professionals administer psychometric tests that examine such skills as verbal and numerical reasoning. There are also personality assessment tests that look at individual traits relating to job habits and organizational skills. These types of evaluative tools can help company leaders make speedy decisions about how to choose the cream of the crop.

In the actual search for talented workers, it is prudent to turn first to your company's own internal networks to ask for referrals to anyone who might fit the bill for the positions you are seeking to fill. Question shareholders, professional advisors and current employees who are close enough to your organization to ascertain the specific talents needed for a particular position.

find talent 2If these referrals fail to pan out, carefully construct a job description that delineates the primary responsibilities of a position within your company.  Then, consider the behavioral traits and talents required of the person you feel is ideally suited for the job.  Finally, publish these criteria and use them to screen resumes for the most talented individuals to fill the positions.  

Last, but certainly not least, a powerful tool in finding contemporary business talent is, of course, the internet.  A well-placed ad on your business's web site, listing the advantages of working for your company, can go far to attract talented job candidates.  Utilize social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to find talent.  Social network participation has become an essential tool in this area. If the most popular social networking resources do not represent your company, your pool of talented candidates could be shallow.

~ Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.
How Does Positive Thinking Work? 

 

Positive thinking begins with a conscious desire to pay attention to and recognize the affirmative in any given situation.  Once the affirmative or positive trait, of a situation or thought can be recognized, then the process of positive thinking can be utilized. In essence, the ability to pinpoint and utilize the positive in your thoughts and actions enables you to better reach your goals, realize your dreams and make a positive impact on all of your endeavors.  

 

positive thinkingThe actual process of positive thinking works to bring about desired outcomes in both our personal life and our professional life in a variety of ways.  By acting in a positive way, we naturally draw positive people to ourselves.  By believing in positive outcomes, we more readily accept them as fact and open ourselves to their reality.  By thinking positive thoughts, we are better able to see alternate, more advantageous routes to take.  By truly accepting a positive way of thinking, we are better able to see the path to success and better able to use our knowledge to get there.

The basic mechanics of positive thinking are simple. This simple process involves consciously searching for the affirmative in any situation, recognizing the benefits of each positive trait and then employing a can-do attitude to follow through on these positive thoughts.

~ Written by Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. Copyright protected worldwide. All rights
reserved.
Planning to Win

 

one minute ideasOne of the most important steps in building a successful business is to have a well thought out business plan. A business plan provides a set of instructions that explain how to build your business and what the structure of the business is going to be. It also allows you to make important decisions based on your financial speculations before you have invested too much time or money to turn back.

 


A business plan is also a means for you to communicate your ideas and your vision to other people who can help you build your business. In addition, the plan helps focus the company and the people involved, on one single idea and help them commit to making this idea a success.
Fun and Motivation in the Workplace 

 

Smart companies know that good employees become restless when work stops being fun. To increase the motivation and fun in your organization, follow the example set by these successful companies:
  • Southwest Airlines is famous for encouraging their employees to have fun with their customers and co-workers. They hold contests throughout the year. Examples: A terminal design contest, a Halloween costume contest, a chili cook-off contest, and a newsletter design contest.
  • Crate and Barrel encourages managers to give their sales associates a "surprise hour off" to walk, exercise, shop, or whatever they would like to do, to come back refreshed.
  • Bank of America sponsors a one-month "Laugh a Day" challenge. Employees try to make co-workers laugh with jokes and cartoons.
  • Dun and Bradstreet give "Stress Support Kits" to customer service consultants. The kits contain chewing gum, aspirin, a comedy cassette, wind-up toys, and a rubber ball for squeezing during stressful moments.