Aligning Company Mission with Vision

Aligning Company Mission with VisionAligning Company Mission with VisionAligning Company Mission with VisionThe way people treat each other in companies and other organizations is affected by the common vision shared by employees, says Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline. One of the deepest desires underlying shared vision is the desire to be connected to a larger purpose and one another.A study by the American Management Association shows that when employees personal values are congruent with their companys values, their personal lives are better, and they feel better about their jobs. According to Gregory Smith, author of Here Today, Here Tomorrow, An organization that can create an energized, higher-calling environment will have higher retention and greater productivity.Finding larger purpose is the key to building employee loyalty, and companies that generate loyal employees reap the rewards. Many service organizations have long-tenured employees, because they were able t o easily link into their higher calling. How can your company build loyalty?What If Your Company Builds Bombs?Some companys products do not lend themselves to altruistic values. I worked for Honeywells Solid State Electronic Center in Colorado Springs, which built the computer chips in their regulators, grocomputer computers, thermostats and bombs. It wasnt comforting to know my work produced weapons of mass destruction. However, our divisions mission was to improve individuals quality of life through the products we built. This was an easier mission to internalize. And yet I eventually resigned, because the companys values conflicted with my own.Determine your companys higher purpose. Dont think of building cars instead think of providing safety, reliability and peace of mind to consumers. Once you understand your companys higher purpose, share it with employees and applicants. Post company values in your employee manual, vacancy notices, brochures, and on intranet and Web sites.Wh at Else Can You Do?A company can also increase employee engagement and loyalty and decrease turnover throughClear and effective employee communication. When an organization lets employees know whats happening, employees feel mora included and trusted.Continuous training and tuition reimbursement. Providing training is important, because 1. It is an investment in employees, which they see as money in the bank. 2. When you invest in workers, they are more apt to invest in your company.Expect greatness. When you raise the bar, employees will meet your expectations and feel important.Provide career counseling. When you help employees grow in their careers, they are more apt to stay with you.Invest in employees financial futures with a matching 401k. When you have a stake in their financial future, they will want to have a stake in yours.Reward and recognize employees often. Employees crave positive feedback and will be more productive when they receive it.Ask employees for input on impo rtant decisions. Employees will feel important and more committed to the mission.Institute exit interviews when faced with terminating an employee to determine why they are leaving.Establish a family-friendly benefits, particularly for hourly employees. Child-care benefits and flexible schedules allow employees to spend more time with family.Allow employees to work on visible projects, or add additional duties that interest them.Loyalty to your company mission doesnt come easily. You must build it one employee at a time. And building employee loyalty is much like building trust Its easy to tear down the challenge is to build it up and maintain it.

A meteor expert shares career lessons inspired by the moon landing

A meteor expert shares career lessons inspired by the moon landingA meteor expert shares career lessons inspired by the moon landingFifty years ago, this week (July 20, 1969), American astronautsNeil Armstrong andEdwin Buzz Aldrinbecame the first menschlichs to land on the moon. Six hours later Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon and famously said Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.Darryl Pitt, who perhaps has the coolest job title on the planet Chair Meteorite Division of the Maine Mineral Gem Museum, spoke with Ladders about some of the cooler things to be learned from the Apollo moon landing.Know your nichePitt says the museums founder, Dr. Larry Stifler, asked him to become involved to create the meteorite component. I am fortunate to count many of the best meteorite hunters in the world as friends, Pitt said. He was charged with attempting to assemble the greatest collection of lunar meteorites on Earth. The fact that the Maine Mineral G em Museum has mora of the Moon than the 10 largest natural history museums in the world combined is extraordinary.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreLunar lesson learned Even if your dream job seems out of your stratosphere, you have a better chance of succeeding if you have an ally or two nearby. And depending on your goals, your shared talents might actually allow you to overtake even the fiercest competition.Explore new possibilitiesWhether its deep space or a new career, exploration of any kind is critical to our growth as individuals and as a species, Pitt said. The appeal in the exploration of Interplanetary space is in part due to its existential qualities. However, while gazing at the night sky can be magical and transport us out of our routines, one should not explore new possibilities without making certain one takes care of where we are - whether in a relationship or o n the planet in which we live.Lunar lesson learned If youre not happy where you are, you should probably explore other opportunities. But be realistic. Dont cut immediately all ties at your current job or aim so high that you end up falling flat.Take another lookSometimes the newness of an opportunity seems dazzling that you lose sight of crucial aspects. One thing that grounds me is the exercise of confining myself to a space to explore the possibilities previously unseen, Pitt said. In some way, limiting himself allows him to see and experience more. There are always more possibilities than what we first see, and we need to take the time to look closely as we also explore the unknown.I personally believe the greatest service space exploration provides is in igniting young peoples desires to explore whatever it is for which they have a passion.Lunar lesson learned Sometimes you need permission to dream big. Other times you might need a nudge or reminder to have another look at what s already right in front of you.Youll need to prepareIf you look at space exploration as a metaphor, dreaming about reaching Mars almost seems like hoping for that next big promotion. The colonization of Mars will happen, its inevitable, but we better learn to take better care of our planet more quickly than the colonization of others, offers Pitt. Additionally, Going to a planet whose environment is hostile to human life is not like the Pilgrims coming to America. Simply expressed, civilization on another world without air will not be life as we know it.Lunar lesson learned This is a tough one, especially if youve been dreaming about the next career bump. But before you ask for that promotion, try to understand whats really involved in the next level and make sure youre ready for it. More than that, make sure your ducks are all in a row at your current job. The last thing you need is to leave a mess behind.Keep a sense of wonderWhy is it that were so excited with whatever is brand new and then move onto the next thing? We take for granted that with which were familiar, Pitt said, before adding this completely mind-blowing fact. I have handled quite a bit of the Moon - actually, there arevery few people that have handled more - and I periodically have to do an internal reset to appreciate that which I initially found to be so extraordinary. But sometimes Pitt needs to do a full reset. As it regards the Moon, what helps to remind me of how extraordinary and powerful a piece of Moon can be is by witnessing the thrill it provides to others when I place a piece of the Moon in their hands. More people need to be able to touch the Moon. Its an experience one does not forget. Ive inadvertently created traffic jams at TSA when I explain the rock with which I am traveling is a piece of the Moon.Lunar lesson learned Allow yourself to be both amazed and amazing at times. When eight of the remaining Apollo astronauts gathered for an anniversary photograph, the majority dressed in classic tuxedos. Eighty-nine-year-old Buzz Aldrin the second man to walk on the moon wore a silver suit with a rocket ship pattern, American flag socks, four gold rings, and two watches.

Making Mistakes How to Evaluate Your Job Search Performance

Making Mistakes How to Evaluate Your Job Search PerformanceMaking Mistakes How to Evaluate Your Job Search PerformanceIn lieu of that unlikelihood, wed like to highlightsome of the 10 Job Search Mistakes Youre Probably Making from BusinessInsider.com with our notes included. Recruiters have reasons for who they do, and do not, choose to bring in for interviews, and this article does an excellent job of explaining the mistakes were all making so that we can avoid them going forward.Here are our five favorite ways to measure your job search performance1) Being unplanned in your job search.This is so common, and also incredibly important to change Think about all of the activities that we plan meticulously vacations, birthday parties, the weekends activities, holiday shopping, even the layout of a garden bed. Why then, do so many people spend next-to-no time on planning out their job search? If you are going to be successful, you need to figure out a plan that will get you there before you jump in head-first.2) Ineffective networking. and 3) Looking only for job openings.Numbers two and three go hand-in-hand If youre only job search tactic is to find job postings online and apply for them, youre missing out on a hugely important piece of job searching Networking. Networking opens you up to many mora opportunities, some career advice experts estimating that roughly 80 percent of jobs are found through networking rather than responding to job openings. Networking takes planning, which links these right back with number one.4) Leaving yourself open to many kinds of jobs.By not focusing on the specific jobs that match your values, interests, personality, and strengths (VIPS, remember them) you are putting your job search at a disadvantage. It may seem logical to apply for as many jobs as possible to increase your chances of employment. But employers can tell, just from your job application materials, if youre applying to something youre truly passionate about, or jus t something that will pay the bills. And professional passion is much more attractive than simply being qualified.5) Not preparing well enough for the job interviews.Simply put If youre looking for a job and you land a job interview, there is no excuse for being unprepared when you walk in that door (or pick up that phone). Before any interview, research the company to find out their history and current events. Practice answering common interview questions out-loud (like these 10). Make copies of your resume, get your portfolio together if applicable, and be well-rested the night before.While we may not usuallyreceive feedback from employers who dont want to hire us, we can still evaluate our own job search performance to figure out where we are going wrong, and to make a plan to succeedIf you have thetime, check outthe rest of 10 Job Search Mistakes Youre Probably Making from BusinessInsider.com.Readers, how are you doing in terms of your job search performance? How can you improve ?