FUN DAYS TO CELEBRATE December is... December 11 – National Noodle-Ring Day (WHAT?!) Job Seekers Continue to Shift Towards the InternetThe Conference Board reports that job seekers are steadily increasing their use of the Internet as a key part of their job search (The Conference Board reported in October). In the most recent survey of workers who searched for a job between January and September 2007, 73% reported using the Internet compared to 66% of job seekers in the same time period in 2005. "The Internet has become the most popular method of job searching", said Gad Levanon, Economist at The Conference Board. "Newspapers are still popular as a major job search method, but job seekers reported using them less, dropping from 75% to 65% between 2005 and 2007. Most job seekers continue to use more than one method in searching for a job. Online and print ads were not mutually exclusive and are still the most frequently used methods of exploring job openings. However, over half (51%) of job seekers reported networking through friends and colleagues as part of their job search. About 1/4 (24%) responded that they used other methods, such as employment agencies. The research shows that the Internet is being used for a variety of job search functions, from gathering employer/job information (59% of job seekers), submitting resumes and applications (57%), to posting resumes on a web site 40%, and signing up for email notifications (30%). In September 2007, there were 4,270,000 online advertised job vacancies according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series (tm) (HWOL). There were 2.78 advertised vacancies online for every 100 persons in the labor force in September. The HWOL data series reports monthly on the sum of the number of unduplicated online job vacancies. The latest release is available on The Conference Board web site at http://www.conference-board.org/economics/indicators.cfm.The data on job search methods is based on a nationally representative sample of 5,000 households surveyed monthly for The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index and is conducted on behalf of The Conference Board by TNS.
More Old is Good! (In My Opinion)Hey, you nostalgia lovers! Here are more "oldies but goodies", including a test of how old you really are! MEMORIES from a friend: My Dad was cleaning out my grandmother’s house (she died in December, 1979) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my children had no clue. They thought it was a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to "sprinkle" clothes with because we didn’t have steam irons. Man, I am old. HOW MANY OF THESE DO YOU REMEMBER? Head lights dimmer switches on the floor? Ignition switches on the dashboard? Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall? Real ice boxes? Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards? Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner? Using hand signals for cars without turn signals? OLDER THAN DIRT QUIZ: Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about! Ratings for the quiz are at the bottom. 1. Blackjack chewing gum If you remembered 0-5 = You’re still young
Thank You Power This book is a great read. Deborah Norville combines inspiration and commonsense with strong research based support for adopting a grateful approach to living your life. We have all been told we "should" be grateful and it is better if you are. . . well, Deborah set out to ansewr, "Why is it better?" and wanted hard proof to back it up. As a journalist, she wants to take the concept from mere platitudes to fact based reasoning. I loved the book and have even looked up some of the research she mentions to get more of the hard data to support the beliefs. So, if you can’t just accept that adopting a grateful approach to life
enhances and enriches your own life. . . here’s a list of benefits.
Deborah’s book shows supporting evidence for if you are a consciously
grateful person.
Email
us with what you’re reading & a sentence or 2 about why you’re reading it
or what you learned from it (can be fiction or non-fiction). Building Team UnityWe often overuse the French phrase "esprit de corps," which literally means "the common spirit existing in the members of a group." Today, it is most commonly used to express a sense of enthusiasm, solidarity and loyalty for a shared purpose or goal. It sounds good, but when companies try to develop this team-unity-type atmosphere, most fall woefully short simply because just saying the words won’t make it so. Virtually every entity that has two or more people claims that its very foundation is built on team-work. The reality, however, is that teamwork must be nurtured day in and day out in the way a group undertakes every meaningful task. This applies whether the undertaking is building a huge bridge over a river or running a corner grocery store. The streets are littered with companies whose wheels fell off the wagon because everyone in the company had his or her own agenda, instead of working together and focusing on the common cause for the greater good. Many leaders of these failed companies may have had their own play-book for self-enrichment and gratification. Others have simply failed to communicate with their team on how to get from Point A to Point B. What are the best methods for well-intentioned leaders who want to build esprit de corps for their company of thousands or for their work group of just two or three? The number of participants may vary, but the techniques in building teamwork are the same. FIRST, the leader must set the direction of what is to be accomplished. Sounds pretty simple, but it’s amazing how many top executives and even mid-level managers play their cards so close to the vest that the people who have to do the work don’t have a clue as to why. One method of establishing direction and goals is to make it a multifaceted process broken down into simple time frames. An effective and easy way to communicate and measure is to use 6 months for initial start-up objectives, 1 year to 18 months for intermediate goals, and everything after that becomes longer term. Of course, the time frame you use depends on what has to be accomplished. Firefighters measure objectives in minutes, while the successful completion of a major highway construction project spans years. Team members can be motivated when they can see the finish line, rather than being told that there is one out there somewhere around the curve. NEXT, get your team members to buy in to why it is they are doing what you want done. Make sure that everyone knows how you keep score of wins and losses, and I strongly suggest that some of the initial goals be more easily attainable than those that are longer term. Once your players know they can win, it will spur them on and give them the strength to get to the next step. There is nothing wrong if, as the wins start piling up more quickly than originally expected, you raise the bar as your team becomes fueled by the thrill of victory. As the coach, you need to have daily, weekly or monthly pep rallies. It is also critical that you identify and then empower team captains who will help propel the mission and perpetuate the message. We all know, however, that there are many pitfalls in building an organization and instilling a sense of pride and purpose. The BIGGEST destroyer of creating esprit de corps is the indiscriminate use of first-person pronouns. It is nearly impossible to motivate a team to work together if you, as the leader, continually overuse the words "I," "me" and "mine," instead of "we," "us" and "ours." We have all heard statements from otherwise very bright people, who almost smugly assert, "I did this," or, "my company did that," instead of employing the royal "we" or "our." When a leader boasts about a recent accomplishment by stating, "I am pleased to announce ..." he is sure to deflate the most zealous team player who will think to himself, "What am I on this team — chopped liver?" It has been said many times that it’s amazing how much people can get done if they don’t worry about who gets the credit. We have all heard the statement that there is no "I" in team, which rings true as most successful leaders get the most satisfaction in knowing they pulled everyone together to go in the same direction at the same time to accomplish a shared goal. There is a big payoff for the leader who knows how and when to use the correct pronouns, starting with less use of "me" and more emphasis on "we." From SmartBusiness Chicago, September 2007, written by Michael Feuer, co-founder of OfficeMax
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| Advantages of Tablets Over Notebook PCs: Palm Beach Atlantic University IT Specialist Ian Burchette sees several reasons for mandating that pharmacy students use Tablet PCs: ● Students can either type or handwrite their notes. Great for those who don’t type well. ● The Tablet takes full advantage of all the features of Microsoft OneNote. ● Students can incorporate the diagrams they draw into their electronic notes. ● Because students can handwrite their notes, they can input equations — something they can’t do via a standard keyboard. This is particularly useful in pharmacy calculations courses. ● Using a Tablet puts all the tools used in class in one notebook, freeing classroom desk space of notepads, graph paper, calculators and tape recorders. ● OneNote lets you record the lecture and synchronize the audio with your handwriting. You can search your notes, and it will play back just that part of the lecture. ● It’s also easier for reading documents because you can hold it in your lap like a book; the scroll wheel makes it easier to scroll through pages. |
Taking Note of OneNote
The pharmacy curriculum has been rewritten to take full advantage of the
Tablet technology and Microsoft’s OneNote application, says Burchette. "Even
with students using notebooks, we noticed they were still carrying massive
three-ring binders. We decided the tablets would be the best of both worlds
because they can either type or handwrite their notes." OneNote, says
Burchette, is laid out like a multisubject notebook.
"We also have an ACPE [Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education] app that’s a virtual sterile lab where you assemble IV bags. It would be difficult to create a sterile environment in a classroom setting."
Future plans call for podcasts, streaming video and interactive training tools on Tablets. When they reach their third year, students will receive PDAs so they can have medical references on hand.
Portability’s Price Tag
There is more to the Tablet program than handing them out to students
and reaping benefits. You need to take cost and training into consideration.
There is a $1,995 fee per student attached to a required first-year pharmacy
course.
Students had two training sessions when they received the tablets during orientation week. A three-hour session consisted of an introduction to all the technologies, such as the course management system. "I would find exercises that illustrated a procedure, such as signing for receipt of the student manual," says Burchette. "They would sign the receipt using handwriting, turn the document into a PDF, then print it." A four-hour session was an open-ended Q&A where students could ask about any aspect of the tablets.
Tablet PC proponents say it is worth the cost and training time because the tablets let students do things they cannot do with traditional note-taking tools such as pen and paper, digital recorders or even notebook PCs.
From EDTECHmag.com, November/December 2007
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Jim Olson, the president of Harman Management Corp., the nation’s largest KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) franchisee, encourages managers to create fun at work. "We’re working with hourly employees that are 16 to 22 years old and they’re certainly not concerned at this point in their career with running the business," he said. "They’re really just there for some spending money, some social life, meeting new people and having fun at work." Those restaurant managers who take humor seriously (pun intended) generally have lower levels of turnover among their employees, not to mention higher morale and engagement.
Well, sure, you’d expect a group of youngsters servin’ up chicken to have fun with their jobs. But what about grown-up employees at a company that handles hazardous waste disposal and is rigorously regulated and policed? Art Hargate, president and CEO of Ross Environmental Services, said his employees have a long-standing tradition of being "serious-aholics." "We’re in a very serious business and the margin of error is very narrow," Hargate said. "The regulatory environment is very strict and there are penalties. Our customers expect us to be very serious people in what we do. Our owner is very serious, very intense. So lightening up for us is hard. Over the years I’ve always thought, ‘Jeez, we’ve got to lighten up.’ The pressure is so intense it’s physically bad for people. The stress response over time is debilitating." Debilitating, by the way, is a bad thing. "Our previous CEO came in and lightened up the workplace. There’s no question that our culture is more relaxed and consequently we’re hitting records." The last 3 years straight they’ve set new growth highs. "We’re experiencing a 7 to 8% annual growth rate since 2004, after years just short of stagnation." A few years back Hargate hired a new fun-driven HR Manager to shake things up. He also hired a new Controller, one that clearly displayed a good, healthy sense of humor. Hargate said that he frequently hears loud laughter and fun coming from the accounting department — yes, the accounting department. He said when hiring key leaders he now looks for personality and humor, along with other critical skills to do the job. So, lighten up your soul a bit. It may help weigh down your wallet.
From Workplace HR & Safety magazine, September, 2007
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Get more tips on retaining great employees from TRAINING SYSTEMS. |
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January 7-10, 2008
Christian Meeting Planners Convention & Expo, Atlanta, GA,
http://www.christianmeetingplanner.com/
January 17-18, 2008, or March 3-4, 2008
ASAE Exceptional Boards Workshop, Kissimmee FL
http://www.asaecenter.org
January 17-20, 2008
33rd International Alliance for Learning Conference 2008, "Learning that
Counts - From a Dream to Reality", Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta,
Georgia,
http://www.ialearn.org/conference.php
January 31-February 1, 2008
ASAE Association Technology Conference & Expo 2008, Washington
Convention Center, Washington DC,
http://www.asaecenter.org/technologyconference
January 31-February 3, 2008
Christian Writers Guild Writing for the Soul Conference, Colorado
Springs, CO,
http://www.ChristianWritersGuild.com
February 2-5, 2008
Meeting Professionals International Professional Education Conference,
North America, Houston, http://mpiweb.org
February 4-6, 2008
Training Magazine’s 2008 Conference & Expo, Georgia World Congress
Center, Atlanta GA,
http://www.TrainingConference.com
March 6-7, 2008
3rd Annual ASAE Conference on International Operations,
Marriott Learning Complex, Ronald Reagan Building/International Trade
Center, Washington, DC,
http://www.asaecenter.org/ProgramsEvents/EventDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=27884
April 5-8, 2008
International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), NY Marriott
Marquis Hotel,
http://www.ispi.org
April 18-20, 2008
Meeting Professionals International European Meetings and Events
Conference, London,
http://www.mpiweb.org/
April 21-24, 2008
Christian Management Association Annual National Conference, Hyatt
Regency Dallas at Reunion,
http://cmaonline.org/cma-conference/
June 22-25, 2008
SHRM 60th Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago IL,
http://www.shrm.org
July 26-28, 2008
WorldFuture 2008: Seeing the Future Through New Eyes, Washington,
D.C.,
http://www.wfs.org

EASY TO BE GREEN!
K
www.eartheasy.com
has great tips on green cleaning.
K
www.greendimes.com
& www.41pounds.org
will help you get off junk mail lists.
K
www.thegreenguide.com
has tips on every facet of green living.
K
www.energystar.gov
gives advice on replacing old light bulbs w/energy efficient bulbs.
K
www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower provides comprehensive "green
power" info.
K
www.globalwarming.org
urges the use of recycled paper.
K
www.arborday.org
helps you plant trees to save the environment.
Going Green At Work
find
ecofriendly building materials and services at
http://www.rateitgreen.comom
buy
ecofriendly office supplies at
http://www.thegreenoffice.comomm
work
from home ideas at
http://www.treehugger.com
find
jobs and volunteer opportunities with socially responsible organizations at
http://www.idealist.org
Reduce
paperwork by invoicing, & paying employees & bills electronically
(TRAINING
SYSTEMS, INC.
now invoices exclusively by email
and is close to paying everyone
by credit card, PayPal, or
automatic debit from checking account).
Encourage
employees to use public transportation.
Use
ceiling fans to reduce air-conditioning costs
Reduce
your hot water heater temperature by 2 degrees and insulate the tank.
Use
energy-saving light bulbs
B.I.G. ON BOOKS is an organization that promotes literacy in underprivileged countries, primarily Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. You can donate books through most Rotary Clubs. B.I.G. also accepts cash donations. Send email to Steve Frantzich at frantzic@usna.edu for more information.
Kicking World Hunger is the biggest soccer juggle-a-thon in the world (uh, that we know of), much like a walk-a-thon, but more fun! Participants sign up to juggle a soccer ball thousands of times while raising money to provide hope for children and communities that desperately need it. http://www.firstgiving.com/kickingworldhunger
Charity Navigator (http://charitynavigator.org) is an in-depth, searchable guide to more than 5,000 charities worldwide that aims to encourage "intelligent giving". They rate charities based on their total expenses, revenues, and organizational capacity. If you want to give, but the recent slew of charity scandals has you feeling skeptical about where your money would go.
Take Pride T-Shirts (http://www.takepride.com) was founded by a group of friends who all share the belief that the more difficult the mission facing our military, the more deserving they are of our thanks and support. Each unique shirt design provides a glimpse into the life of a different US Service member who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and is hand silk-screened. The message of the shirts isn’t political, it's about acknowledging, celebrating, and taking pride in the spirit of young Americans who despite facing an extremely difficult job and unpleasant conditions, nonetheless strive to do their job well. Take Pride gives at least 20% of profits to charities and causes that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Set
a reminder to visit
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
daily and click this button to help underprivileged women get mammograms.
volunteermatch.org helps you
find organizations in your area that spark your interest in volunteering.
momsrising.org fights for family-friendly programs and policies at
work.
mygooddeed.org honors the heroes and victims of 9/11, by giving ideas
for good deeds to perform.
kiva.org helps entrepreneurs by connecting them with backers for
short term loans
guidestar.org and charitablechoices.org both make sure the
organizations you’re supporting are legit and give the bulk of their money
to their mission
Global Volunteers
(http://www.globalvolunteers.org)
You can:
select
by type of work project
select
by country and date
select
by service program conditions
select
by cost
RECYCLING
Recycle yogurt containers and old toothbrushes!
Recycline’ Preserve partnered with Stonyfield Farm and is recycling
yogurt containers into toothbrush handles. Old toothbrushes are used to make
plastic lumber for picnic tables. Go to
http://www.recycline.com
for details.
Responsibly Dispose of Your Old Electronics
Donate
Old Cell Phones
911 Cell Phone Bank provide free emergency cell phones to needful people
through partnerships with law enforcement organizations,
http://www.911CellPhoneBank.com
Recycle
PCs, cell phones, printers, CDs diskettes, etc., with GreenDisk. For
$29.95, they send a 70-pound-capacity box. When it’s full, you download
postage from their website and ship it back. Your “junk” then goes to
workshops for the disabled and are refurbished.
http://www.greendisk.comm
Donate
PCs to National Cristina Foundation,
http://www.cristina.org;
Goodwill,
www.goodwill.org,
Salvation Army,
www.satruck.com/MakeDonation.asp.
Recycle
PCs and other computer products at Hewlett Packard and Dell. See their
websites for details.
Several
other places to recycle old PCs:
www.plugintoscycling.org,
www.earth911.org,
www.eiae.org.
Find
local Electronics recyclers at
http://www.earth911.org
and
http://www.ebay.com/rethink
CONTESTS
US Chamber’s 2008 Small Business of the Year Award: for info or to apply, go to http://www.uschambersummit.com
ASAE’s 2008 Associations Advance America Awards: apply at http://www.asaecenter.org/AAAawards
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