Healthy living is the fuel to living fired up. Check out Bragg’s Healthy Living site at www.Bragg.com. Learn about more natural eating, the foods (if they can be called that) that you should never eat, how to manage your health and other great information. Fast food, fast lives…fat foods, fat lives. Great information to build a healthier life right away. You won’t be able to ignite your fire if you have all the wrong fuel.

Manager: Are all your employees working in the right jobs – jobs that play to their strengths and passions? How will you realign?

Technology is amazing. In several clicks you can find the capital of Bulgaria, how many people were hired in a particular industry, in the US, in September 2009, and a recipe for banana cream pie, that is actually a healthy smoothie. Technology has allowed information to be rapidly acquired and shared. But more information isn’t always meaningful. Where do you get the right information to drive your business success?

Wait. Let’s see what amount of information we are dealing with. Presume all of the scientific knowledge known at 1 AD is 1 unit of information. Research was done and supports that it took 1500 years for that amount of information to double (by 1600). It then took only 250 years for that information to double to 4 units (by 1750), and only 150 years (by 1900) for it to double again to 8 units. Today, this doubling rate is every 1 – 2 years. There is no shortage of information; there is not shortage of knowledge. In fact, we are overwhelmed with both. How do you access meaningful information to make great decisions? You “google” or search, right?

Again, wait. Think differently about this. Instead of using Google, use what I call “Geople” (google your people) – this is actually my term that means check with your people. In an age of significant social connections, your people (employees and customers) are your eyes and ears to the world. They have access to millions of bits of information that can keep you informed. You need to know what the world is thinking, what trends are developing, what your competition is doing and what regulations may impact you. There is too much to know; it can’t be easily known or sourced by one person. This is where you need your power information sources – your employees and customers.

In our past industrial age, the manager had access to most of the business’ critical information; there was less information and access was limited. But today, in our highly-connected and information-rich intellectual age, the manager no longer has access to all the information. Today, employees and customers are the front lines to information acquisition, assessment and management. Employees and customers chat, tweet, blog, post, connect and share; using them allows you to gather more meaningful information. Today, you must be able to check in with your employees and customers in the same way you “google;” you must phrase great questions and listen for the responses. This keeps you informed about the world, challenges, opportunities, trends and other important information. This is how you expand what you know to improve your decisions and drive your success.

So, since employees and customers are the connection to meaningful information that will impact the company, how connected are you to them (so that they will openly and honestly volunteer what they know) and how well do you ask meaningful questions that generate the information you need?

“Connection through constant contact” – this is the new millennial phrase. Great managers must be in constant contact with their employees. Employees need to be in constant contact with their social networks and their customers. Customers need to be in constant contact with the company and their networks. This moves information; this allows all parties to be informed. But remember, contact is personal. So if managers do not take the time to learn how to connect emotionally and personally with their employees, to learn their talents, interests and values, then employees disconnect. If employees disconnect, customers disconnect.

A critical role of all millennial managers (today’s managers) is the connection and relationship development time with each employee. The “human edge” is what activates their greatest performance and loyalty. Not only must employees be intellectually connected to their work (they are good at what they do), but they must also feel emotionally connected to it (they love what they do and have a strong personal rapport with their manager). In fact, the emotional connection has a stronger impact on loyalty and performance than the intellectual connection. It is more critical than ever that you spend time building a rapport with your employees. Otherwise, it is like losing Google as a search tool.

Organizations that have extraordinary customer service are first employee-focused organizations. As employees feel supported, challenged and responsible for their performance, they are more engaged and committed to their customers. This connection is what activates customer loyalty. Loyal customers share what they hear, what they think, the changes they want to see, the things that work and the things that don’t work. Disconnected customers don’t tell you what they think. They withhold the information from you – if they return. So, build constant contact with each employee and show them how to do the same with each customer.

Finally, get good at asking meaningful questions. Just as Google searches are less meaningful with poor search words, the quality of your information received from employees and customers will be poor if you do not ask the right questions. Ask great open-ended questions – to get them to talk, share and explain. Ask about ideas and ways to improve. Ask about details and perspectives. Get out of your office and talk to people. Blog. Chat. Send e-mails with questions, challenges and opportunities. Then, listen to the answers. Take notes. Answer back. Be responsive. Be appreciative. Share how you use the information you receive to encourage the employees and customers to continue to share. This gathers, shares and uses information.

We are in the age of instant access to information. Great. That doesn’t always make us smarter. Today, “Geople” (ask your people) to help you stay in control of your constantly changing business. Your employees and customers are your eyes and ears to the world. Stay in constant contact. Build your contacts and develop a culture of sharing meaningful information. This is critical in a world that doubles what it knows every year or two.

Most people think networking is just about meeting as many people as possible, but very successful networkers carefully connect to people, and use the time to share a consistent but constantly tailored message. Be sure to see the section in the article in how to give your conversation substance.

How good are you at networking? Click on this article presented in the “Women’s Media” newsletter; not only are the tips valuable and meaningful, they also focus on how to be more human and more connected in the process. Network away! Share it if you find it helpful.

Change – it is actually something you can be sure of, like death and taxes. And organizations that learn not to fear change, and actually welcome it, prepare themselves to be significant players in today’s economy. Welcoming and responding to change is the responsibility of both management and employees – it is learned behavior. It is management’s role to help build a nimble, resilient and flexible organization that can zig when zigging is right, and zag when it is time to zag. This responsiveness helps employees feel supported and in control when much of the world around them is uncertain. This helps employees stay focused on the mission, goals and direction of the organization, regardless of magnitude of change around them.

Employees who learn that change is nothing more than an opportunity to invent something new, develop a new skill and continue to learn, openly welcome times of change. They are optimistic and upbeat as they see its value both personally and professionally.

Handling change successfully is a mindset. Change is the new constant. Stay ahead of change and use it to grow, and your organization will survive. Fight change, hold onto the past and continue to use old thinking, and your days are numbered. Fired Up! workplaces take change in stride, know it is just another part of an exciting and high performance day. What is your organization’s perspective of change? What is your plan to zig and zag?

For help creating a culture that accommodates change, check out my book, Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition.

For help dealing with change, see Ariane de Bonvoisin’s outstanding website and great book, The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Making Any Change Easier

So each Friday, the focus of this blog will be gratitude. Tune in, get inspired and share your thoughts. We all have so much to be grateful for; besides, gratitude is a key component of living Fired Up! Be grateful. Love your weekend. Stay fired up.

The rumblings in the HR world are that as the economy starts to improve, many employees will jump ship. Many employees have put up with bad workplaces, out of touch managers and unreasonable work expectations because of today’s economic challenges. Many managers have used the tough economy to raise the expectations, change the benefits and reduce the rapport. And soon, when things improve, these employees will revolt. And when they do, they will exit in significant waves, searching for organizations that cared for, trusted and valued their employees in down times. And with the power of instant communication and social networks, employees are already taking note of which organizations show up on the naughty and nice lists.

Here are the five reasons why when the economy improves, your employees will leave you:
1. You constantly told them they were lucky to have a job and made them feel desperate and not in control of their lives. You constantly reminded them of the number of out of work employees and how tough their situations are. Remind them they have no control and that they are lucky to be working and your employees will leave you.
2. You added more work to each role because some roles were eliminated. Instead of being fair about the workload with changes to compensation, time off or a promise to make things right in a better economy, you took advantage of the situation and forced the extra work on your staff (and reminded them they were lucky to have the job). Not only does this overwork your employees, but it interrupts the critical work/life balance needed to allow employees to feel successful both at work and at home. Make the workload unfair without any attempt to balance it and your employees will leave you.
3. You told your employees how things were going to be instead of presenting the tough situations and asking for their input to solve them. Employees were excluded from difficult news, or given difficult news with little time to react or respond. Successful organizations are based on open, honest and timely communication with employees; not only does this keep them informed and aware, it sets them up to participate in the challenges and opportunities of the organization. Keep them in the dark and refuse to allow for discussion and your employees will leave you.
4. You became more focused on results at the expense of the rapport and relationships you had with your people. Employees require constant contact; they require a real relationship with their managers. Managers who spend time away from their people disconnect from their people. Make your employees feel like a cog or a disposable part of the process and they will leave you.
5. You became so aware of the down times that you forgot to celebrate and make some “up times.” All employees know how critical the workplace and economy had become; it is everywhere in the news. Organizations that did nothing but worry, fret and disconnect, missed an opportunity to show their employees the best opportunities in any economy happen when the outlook is optimistic. Optimism is a choice. Organizations that find ways to be upbeat about things worth celebrating create higher performing and engaging workplaces. They weather the challenges better, becoming more successful for their approach. Make your workplace dismal and a downer and your people will leave you.

It is your choice how to handle an economic downturn. You can let the news take you down, and then take it out on your employees; or, you can see that your employees are also affected. You can share information, deal with their fears and frustrations openly and honestly. You can share information about necessary cuts and solicit ideas to help respond in ways that have the least impact the employees and their performance. You can be sensitive to how much work a person can do in a day and build a plan to get the work done and care for the health and safety of the employees. You can choose to create a powerful, upbeat and optimistic approach to the workplace – tough times don’t mean you can’t have fun and love your jobs. You can stay more closely connected to your people, ensuring that they have what they need by building a stronger community in and out of work. You can constantly remind them that they are lucky to have a job and there are hundreds of others waiting to take their jobs if they slip up. Seems almost a return to the early industrial age. But be aware, a revolution is brewing.

So, for the employees reading this, print a copy and leave it on your manager’s desk. Let them know that some of what they do is not inspiring your loyalty. And for managers reading this, remember, your people are your profits – in good times or in bad. Organizations that respect, care for and value their employees, win their loyalty. Making it through the day – average. Making it through the day and getting them excited to come back and do it again tomorrow – priceless. It is your choice how you manage.

I have been speaking and working with both companies and individuals for over 25 years. Most seem to be convinced that their work life and their home lives are supposed to be average; that passionate and exciting lives are reserved for the famous and the few. My message in all that time has been to train people to spend time with themselves – to learn what they are great at and what they love to do. It may be reading, cooking or gardening. It may be flying, singing or investing. It may be connecting with others, inventing or working with computers. Each of us is gifted with a very specific combination of talents and strengths. Our lives are given to us to discover who we are, discover our combination of talents and strengths, and then build a work and home life that plays to what we are the best at and the most passionate about. This is how we own our lives. This is how we live more authentically and honestly. This starts with a greater self-awareness by answering the two questions: What am I a great at? What am I passionate about?

Life is not a dress rehearsal. The sooner we learn what gifts, talents and passions we have, the sooner we can build our lives around them. Not only does this make us more competitive in our work lives, but it amplifies each day of home lives. We live more fully, contribute more significantly and enjoy our lives. Albert Einstein said, “The single most important decision any of us ever have to make is whether or not to believe we will live in a friendly universe.” That means do we feel that life is supposed to be extraordinary and that the world is a positive place waiting for us to contribute our best. Or, as many feel, life is meant to be bland and boring…and they just count the days until it ends.

For me, and for those I speak to, the only way to approach life is Fired Up! Be passionate, be excited, love what you do and the life you have. Know yourself, play to your strengths and build a life that lets you work and live in a way that excites you and moves you. It is your choice. The buck stops with you. You own your life and your decisions about it and work. If you hate your job, start to identify a job you love and build a plan to get it. If there are aspects of life that are bland or are not for you, start to build a plan to change. Time doesn’t wait. Bland and boring is a waste of your time. Choose great. Choose passionate. Choose Fired Up!

Today, I introduce the final two steps.

Find the right job Steps 6 and 7:
6. Apply only for jobs that meet your criteria. Highlight your “fit” on the face of your resume. Use a talent-based resume – one that highlights your talents (what you are great at) and then presents how you have used your talents in other jobs. This helps a hiring manager easily and accurately assess your job fit. Since the job also activates your passion, applying for the job is now exciting, empowering and engaging. Applying for jobs that activate your passions encourages your best job application, resume and cover letter. This is your moment to show your fit and passion. Don’t miss this opportunity – this is where you get their attention.
7. Go into your interview with great confidence. You know the talents needed in the job match your talents. You know you love the nature of the work as it appeals to your passions. You have used these talents in other roles so you can easily show how they look to others. You have everything going for you. You know you are a good fit – and good fit is exactly what the hiring manager is looking for. Be confident. Don’t over prepare. Talk candidly, honestly and openly about your performance, your talents, how you fit and what value you can provide. This is how to stand out and get hired.

Seven steps to finding the right job – or, the job you love. Jobs you love allow you to perform better – they use what you are great at. Learn how to define and play to your strengths – it gives you a competitive edge. For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

We are almost through all seven steps…today I introduce Step 5.

Find the right job Step 5:
What careers, roles or jobs need what you are great at, passionate about and meet your definition of success? These are opportunities that play to your strengths and activate your passions. These opportunities will allow you to be the most connected and most engaged. This will encourage your greatest energy, performance and impact. You now know yourself well enough to know what are the right jobs for you – the jobs that “fit.” So go ahead and create a list of your “Right” jobs, roles or careers. Consider everything that meets your criteria. You may find that the best job for you does not yet exist and if created would add great value to an organization. Don’t be afraid to invent your ideal job. Be true to yourself – put yourself in a job that will show off what you are great at, and activate your passions.

Two final steps and we’re done. I introduce Step 6 tomorrow. Don’t miss it. And share these with your friends and families who are job hunting…learn a better way of looking for the right job – one that will give you a job you love (and will excel in). For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

Today, I continue with my seven steps to finding a job you love because when you love your job, your performance, effort and engagement improves. Today, I introduce Step 4.

Find the right job Step 4:
Review what you listed from steps 1, 2 and 3 (what you are great at, what you love to do and what fits into your definition of success) and identify where any of the items you listed intersect. Where these three areas intersect is called your “MaxImpact Core.” This represents the environment that allows you to connect to your performance both intellectually and emotionally. This is where you have the greatest “fit,” greatest passion and greatest connection. This is critical information needed to identify your dream job – your “right” job. It is worth the effort to go through this process. Most people do not know what they are great at. Fewer know what their definition of success is. Where these, and your passions, intersect is where you will feel empowered and alive in the workplace. Find this. Trust me, you will be so glad you did and you will never take a boring job again. Life is too short to hate your job. It is your choice to have an ordinary or extraordinary job (and life). Learn how to find a job that activates your passions and makes you feel significant. Own your work and your life…you can have the best of each.

Two final steps and we’re done. I introduce Step 5 tomorrow. Don’t miss it. And share these with your friends and families who are job hunting…learn a better way of looking for the right job – one that will give you a job you love (and will excel in). For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

Find the right job Step 3:
List what will make you feel successful (what do you want) in your role. Will it be to progress to management, work a flexible schedule, work from home, have a certain impact, work with a certain type of customers, people or products, etc? Be clear in your definition of what success is from your perspective.

Step 4 on Monday. Learn how to find and get hired in to a job that you love. For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

Find the right job Step 2:
List what you are passionate about. Passion drives energy; the more you involve your passions in your job, the more engaged and excited you will be in your role. This is the most significant component of performance. Identify what you love to do. You may see this play out in your hobbies and interests.

Step 3 tomorrow. Learn how to find and get hired in to a job that you love. For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

Find the right job Step 1:
List what you are great at. Take a talent assessment if you need help or simply list what you are naturally great at. Notice this said “great” not “good” as the focus must be on things that you are the best at to be the most competitive. Don’t be humble. Be accurate and be honest.

Step 2 tomorrow. Learn how to find and get hired in to a job that you love. For more help, click on “Stand Out and Get Hired” above.

1. Get Fired Up! about finding a job. Love the process because what you love, you are more committed to. If you hate the job seeking process, several things will happen:
a. You will not put your best effort in. Today, you have to be your best to get noticed and hired.
b. If you are not excited about the process, you won’t have the energy and focus to keep moving on your search. And at the same time, you won’t show the world that you have the personality, tenacity and focus to get things done and are an ideal choice to be hired.
c. If you do not find a way to get fired up about the job hunting process, you just won’t do it. You’ll find reasons why you should not network, not create a better resume, not invent a new approach to get noticed, or not polish up your cover letter.

So get up, get going and get fired up about getting the best job. See yourself in a great job and stay focused on how good you will feel when you get the job. Be positive, upbeat and enthusiastic. Apply for jobs in which you are the most competitive. Be open to talking to anyone and everyone about what you do well because that random person you happen to meet, may be a manager looking for a high quality, high energy and focused employee like you. Get Fired Up! about finding a great job. Attitude is critical to Stand Out and Get Hired.

For more help see the new web resource “Stand Out and Get Hired” on this site. Good Luck. Be Great. Get Hired.

Link to BizTalk Radio interview.

In the book, the traveler is introduced to seven historic figures, including Harry Truman, Ann Frank, Abraham Lincoln and others. Each historical person has some particular piece of wisdom to share to help the traveler realign and own his life. Though all seven lessons presented are important, the first lesson is most critical – “the buck stops here” – in other words, you own your life, your decisions, your success or failure. There is no blaming others, no wishing things were different. You have choices and your choices direct your work and life. It is about being fully accountable. It is about owning your life and everything in it.

In today’s blaming world, it always seems to be someone else’s fault. Today, step up and own you life and work. If job seeking, find out what you are good at and apply for jobs in which you are competitive. Take charge of your process and own it. In life, review your choices and be clear about what you want for your life. Live your life, not the life others require or expect of you. Work in roles that activate your passions and talents. Love what you do. Your past does not dictate your future. The buck stops with you. Your life, your work. Own it.

ps – check out the entire book; it is empowering and engaging. Share its lessons with people you care about.

But I am also a realist; sometimes life can be very challenging. Sometimes it is difficult to be upbeat and positive when we are constantly bombarded with negativity, dire predictions, social challenges and decreasing resources. So that means each of us needs a plan to deal with these times head on; we need to create a plan that builds our confidence, activates our courage and enables us to be optimistic and focused.

For this, I share my morning “Ten-minute Reconnect.” Using this approach, I find that however challenging things are, I land on my feet. I feel confident and focused, and direct my attitude and day in a productive and upbeat way. Though I start my day this way, consider using this “Ten-Minute Reconnect” whenever you need to regain your energy, focus and optimism.

The “Ten-Minute Reconnect”:
1. Read from someone who you find inspirational (my favorites are Steve Farber, Sherwin Nuland, Tom Peters and Ogden Nash). Get inspired.
2. Recommit to your statement of purpose or happiness (what do you want from work and life). Get focused.
3. Identify three things you are grateful for (see abundance instead of scarcity). Be thankful.
4. Identify two people who need to hear something positive from you today (see that there is more to the world than just you and your challenges). Be available.
5. Identify how you will play to your strengths today (create a plan just for today – a day at a time). Be confident.

Ten minutes is all it takes. A ten-minute investment in yourself to stay focused, optimistic, upbeat and thankful. When we move from a place of gratitude and optimism, we can more easily handle whatever comes our way. Wise people have stated that our challenges are nothing more than lessons to help us see how capable we are. Starting from a point of strength each day encourages a more powerful day and greater success with life’s lessons. Invest ten minutes. You are worth it.

As I travel and work with managers and employees, I find that most do not know themselves well – they are unaware of what they are great at and what activates their passions. The result is they work in jobs they find to be boring, uninspiring and disengaging. The more disconnected they become from their work, the more their performance (and the performance of the organization) suffers. So take control. Know yourself well; know which jobs play to your strengths, which jobs ignite your passions and which jobs activate your best performance. Then, if job hunting, apply for jobs that meet these criteria. Stay focused on jobs that play to your strengths because these are the areas in which you are most competitive. Play to your strengths and then be sure the employment world knows what you are great at. Great employees are always in demand.

Here is what guides me:
1. Stay positive and find the positive, not the negative, in the change. There are always positive events if we look for them; committing to feeling bad doesn’t do any good. As I like to call it – be on the “hunt for opportunities.”
2. Know you will land on your feet. Trust that you have the abilities and the strength to come out stronger, better, happier or more successful. Believing it is critical to your success.
3. Surround yourself with others who can help you. Periods of change should send you looking for help, rather than trying to solve things on your own. Most people feel that their change situation is unique to them. Most situations have happened to others – and they may have wisdom to help guide you through the process. Find help.

Change happens. That is just the way of the world. Be optimistic, welcome it and be better because of it. Whether job hunting, managing or watching your family grow up, find the good. Celebrate the positive and commit to being optimistic.

To help with the impact of change, Job Seekers can check out Stand Out and Get Hired – your resource to help you see what you are great at, which jobs need what you are great at and how to apply in a way that gets you noticed. Managers check out Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition. This is your step-by-step guide to learn how to manage in today’s period of change. Use the tools to be great in times of change.

Hiring managers want to know these three things; moreover, they want to see that you know what you are great at, what you are passionate about, how you use what you are great at in the workplace, and how it all creates value. Provide this, you’ll stand out and get hired. See the full resource above for more information.

Remember that in today’s workplace, how you respond to your employees (your emotional intelligence) is critical to your success. So, to deal with the employee who seems to have trouble getting fired up, first look at yourself and be more self aware and socially aware (try the little softer side of management). Consider the following:
1. Sit down for an honest and open one-on-one conversation. Ask about how they “feel” about work (not what they “think” about it).
2. Sense their emotions and see if you can uncover any area of discontentment. Deal with it up front, with empathy and attention.
3. Invite the employee to create a response to improve things. Establish another meeting to review the plan. Set dates and action items. Assess changes to employee attitudes. Be open to changes in your behavior as they may be what is impacting the employee’s response.

In most cases, employees who are not fired up are working in the wrong jobs (they don’t feel capable or confident), they don’t love what the do (there is no passion) or they feel disconnected from the manager and workplace. Address each and employees quickly become excited, passionate and engaged. To solve this you have to get real, get human and get connected.

Catch my interview with Jim Lobaito at BizTalk Radio at www.Biztalkradioshow.com; it overviews Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition, its approach, and how to easily and successfully implement a fired up! attitude in your workplace. See the “For Managers” section in the right column, or go to the Products page for more information. Get your copy today.

So try this. Identify the things that you love to do – those things that you are passionate about. How can you incorporate some of these in your job? Check with your manager about the other things – the highly engaging things – that you can do to boost your energy level and interest in your job. Don’t just do you job – do a fired up! job. This gets you noticed, valued and remembered.

Check out the new Talent-based Resume on this site under the Job Seeker section. This new format provides these three critical components needed by hiring managers. Consider purchasing “Stand Out and Get Hired” to learn how to assess your talents, find out the jobs that match your talents and present yourself in a new and get noticed way with the talent-based resume. This moves your resume up to the top of the pile because you provide what hiring managers need and make their job easy and conclusive. Stop wasting your time and aggravating hiring managers with inappropriate resumes. Send the new talent-based resume because it shows what you are good at, how you add value, and how you fit. To get hired, you have to stand out in the right way – show your performance, fit and value.

So, if job seeking, define what jobs need what you are good at, activate your passions and respond to your definition of success. If you are thinking about starting a business (for the Florida Tech program attendees last week, this week and next week), play to your strengths by getting to know what you are good at, what are your passions and what is required for you to be successful. Find this intersection and you will see business opportunities. Find this intersection and you will max your performance.

Spend some time with yourself. You’ll be pretty impressed with the talents you have – then you’ll know how to use them to work and live in a more successful way.

Fired Up! employees have the freedom to invent, discover and propose – because that is where the great ideas come from. An economic crisis is a great opportunity to see how clever your people can be. Keep them in dark and you will fall victim to the economy. Allow them to invent, solve, questions, try and assess – and they not only become smarter, they become more excited, focused on solutions and engaged. Or, as I like to say on this site…Fired Up.

Check out this link to an article by my favorite author, Thomas Friedman. He concurs. See what you think.

Don’t dumb things down. Fire them up.

Hiring managers – demand what you need from job seekers. Require them to submit the new talent-based resume (see the new format above under the Job Seeker link). This makes your job easier, clearer and more conclusive. It requires them to send you a resume with the critical information you need to make a good decision. This improves your ability of hiring the right employee and to fire the employee up!

“Stand Out and Get Hired” – my new resource to help job seekers define their talents, determine which jobs need their talents and create a powerful talent-based resume to apply for jobs that are a good fit – will be available in the next two weeks on this site. Stay tuned – and get your copy. This will make job seekers’ and hiring managers’ lives easier.

Attracting, hiring and retaining high performing employees are the responsibility of today’s managers. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all jobs – of any employee will do in any job. Today, employees’ performance is based on their job fit. Today’s employees want to work in high performing cultures; they want to work in roles that match their talents, interests and values. They want a strong and professional relationship with their managers. And when this happens, they perform and stay. And today, you need the best performers.

Join the blog each day to see my approach to solving this issue and check the earlier two weeks in May to see the other problems and solutions. Get good at assessing what stops your employees’ performance – and how to Fire them up!
Be sure to download chapters from Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition. Check out its tools and perspectives. It is a resource all millennial (intellectual-age) managers need. You will find the right way to activate great performance from each of your employees.

Now that you know the two components, start to watch wherever you go. See the average performers and notice that they are in jobs that don’t make sense for them, or they hate what they do. Either way, you lose. Ignite your employees performance by learning how to hire the right ones (intellectual connection) and then engaging them with high-energy, customized roles (emotional connection). This process is spelled out in a step-by-step process in Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition. Download some chapters to see its process. Purchase your copy now and get your employees Fired Up! – instead of Fizzled Out.

Today, you have do more with less…You need every employee to passionately contribute, perform and make an impact. You need the right employees – committed to making a difference. Fire Up Your Employees is the tool you need to ignite today’s employees’ performance. It is not just a business book, it’s better – here’s why:

· Fire Up! is not just management theory – it is also a new, complete and step-by-step millennial management implementation process (called the Fire Up! Process^SM) with the goal of igniting exceptional performance by attracting, hiring and retaining the best intellectual-age employees.

· The Fire Up! Process^SM is flexible and allows for part or all of the Process to be implemented in your workplace, and by managers of any experience level.

·      The Fire Up! Process^SM provides the ability to practice with millennial management ideas and concepts before implementing them in your actual workplace.

· The Fire Up! Process^SM is both a learning tool and the tool to guide, coach and encourage full-year employee performance.

· The Fire Up! Process^SM activities are hosted on this website where they are constantly updated and kept current.

Check out the free downloads – buy the book or contact us to schedule your on-site seminar.

In many areas of the country there is a supply of employed talent. Many organizations now have a greater choice to fill openings or realign. But wait – you first need to know what you need. Learn how to create a Talent Matrix – a one page profile of the talents, skills and experience you need (presented in Fire Up! Your Employees). This means you need to know how to assess applicants for talents and how to define the talents needed in each job. Define it up front and the interview process is easy – you know specifically what you need and you can easily match your needs to the attributes you find in your applicants. Hiring made simple.

Review the free chapter downloads and order your copy of this new hands-on, step-by-step guide to attract, hire and retain the right employees. Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition – get your copy today.

The  first reaction most (industrial-age) organizations have when things get tough is to cut expenses. But we are not in the industrial age any more…manufacturing has moved off shore. Today’s workplace in an intellectual workplace; that means the greatest expenses we have are employee related. So when times get tough, most companies cut their people – their human capital – the intellectual capital. They dump great talent into the market place. Bad for them; good for you. Now is the time for you to redefine your needs, realign employees to roles that better use their talents and then look to the choice in the market place for any missing talents. We all have to do more with less – that means we need each employee to perform better. Use this site and the Fire Up! book to learn how to define your talent needs by role, how to realign and then how to source the right new talent. In today’s economy, “one-size-fits-all” jobs don’t exist. Have the right employee. Have the best team. Update now when you have a better choice.You will be ahead of everyone else when the recession ends.

Who is a great fit and should stay?

Who is a great employee but could contribute more in a different role (more in line with his/her talents)?

Who is not a good fit in any role and should be ushered out of the organization?

Who should we bring in to supply the missing talents and new perspectives we need? 

Assess your employees’ talents. Know the talents you need to help employees perform, and then go out and hire the right ones. Now is not time to carry no-performing employees. Realign them to better roles or usher them out. Today- you have a choice of the best talent. Define what you need and bring them in now. And when things improve, your team will be the powerhouse you need it to be to take you to the next level. Don’t wait. Use the tools on this site and the new book to build the best team.

Now is the time to fire up your employees. Employees are your profits…help them drive great results. Use the tools on this site to learn how to fire them up…and they will always smoke your competition.

When you spend time with each employee, you have the ability of getting to know each employee and can then align the right employee with the right role. When you spend time with each employee, you learn what they like, how they think and what motivates them. You can then customize their jobs, provide performance feedback and help them invent a real future – one that includes their objectives and goals. So, you have the greatest influence on employees and their performance. Get to know each of your employees and use what you know to influence their performance and success. You are at the center of all employees’ success. Do you use this influence to help employees be their best?

Employees are connected emotionally when they work in roles that are customized for them – by including things they like to do and giving them a voice in determining how to complete their work. Employees are connected emotionally to their managers when managers spend time in daily performance feedback and in having career conversations that show employees a future. Connect employee intellectually and emotionally – and the results will astound you.