Tag Archives: hiring

The Extinction of the Summer Job

I’ve read several articles of late discussing the decline in the number of older high school and college students that take jobs for the summer. Each of these reflected on how summer employment taught millions of Americans their first work habits. Around … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

You Can Go This Far, but No Further

When someone starts their first company (especially a technician as defined in my book Hunting in a Farmer’s World) he or she is usually the sole key employee. She (I’ll use one pronoun for readability) does the hands-on work of … Continue Reading

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Where are All Those Jobseekers?

Workers: There are currently 5.1 million job openings in the US; an all time high. While the official unemployment stands at 5.5%, the U-6 unemployment rate, which includes people working as little as one hour a week for “economic reasons” … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning, Top Blog Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Regulation: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

True story: A fortune 500 company implements a new wellness plan for employees. It’s designed by consultants who use the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as a template. Workers are incentivized to get regular exercise, quit smoking and lose weight; with … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Managing Employees, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do Titles Make Leaders?

You’ve promoted a great employee beyond his capabilities. He is putting in long hours, but appears unable to keep up with the new responsibilities. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to understand what those responsibilities are, or what they should … Continue Reading

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Do Leaders Need Titles?

When should an employee be promoted? Over the years, I’ve often had this conversation both within my own companies and with owner-clients. An employee is handling responsibilities above his or her official job description. We naturally want to acknowledge the effort, … Continue Reading

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The Luxury of No Resources

Among the Baby Boomer business owners who are beginning to plan their retirement, there are millions who founded the companies they plan to sell. Many of these were technicians when they started. They began as employees, and then used their … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Disconnect Between Skills and Jobs

A Gallup/Lumina Foundation Poll released a few weeks ago is getting attention in the business community. In a survey of 623 business leaders, most said that higher education was important, but where an employee earned a degree, and what the degree … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Managing Employees, Top Blog Posts | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Employee Retention: From Thirty Years to Two

The United States has never been known for permanent employment. The flexibility of our job market, the ability of employers to hire the employees need and fire those they don’t, has always been considered by economists to be a core attribute … Continue Reading

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Lots of Jobs – Where are the Workers?

The South Texas region has an unemployment rate of somewhere between 5.2% and 5.8%, depending on exactly where you are located. Employment in certain highly desirable professional technology occupations is officially over 100%. Finding entry-level employees in South Texas is … Continue Reading

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Is “Follow Your Passion” Really Bad Advice?

It’s graduation season, and honored guests clutching honorary degrees are speechifying at commencements all around the country. In a recent story on National Public Radio, quotes from celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Bloomberg all included the same … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Employee Investment Takes Time

Despite millions of dollars in revenue and expenses, an NBA team is a small business. A coach gets 15 positions (12 active and three reserve) with which to field a winning organization. As in any small business, every player has an important role. While some … Continue Reading

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