by Ashley Andrus

If you’re like most people, you finished that saying with, “…it’s WHO you know.”

That was true for a long time…but in the age of online social networking, it’s more accurate to say, “It’s not who YOU know, it’s who THEY know.” More than ever before, the internet makes it easy to access the networks and circles of influence of the people you know.

As networking expert Sarah Michel explains the equation in today’s market: The value of others + the value you bring to others = your netWORTH (™) . In this economic climate of free-falling 401(k) values, your network has become quite literally your netWORTH (™) . Are you putting social networking tools—especially LinkedIn and Twitter—to work for you?

There’s a catch, though. Too many people forget about the second variable in that equation (the value you bring to others) and focus exclusively on the first (what’s in it for me?) REAL WORLD TIP: The people you’re reaching out to don’t care what’s in it for you—they care about what’s in it for THEM.

Some quick tips on maximizing your efforts so your equation is balanced:  Read the rest of this article »

by Lisa Niederman

Time is such an elusive topic and even more difficult to capture, to conform to your bidding. You know the familiar recant: here today and gone tomorrow. This can also be said about your favorite time management strategies, tools, and books conveniently hidden in corners of your office, again having fallen victim to here today and gone tomorrow. In fact, when people are polled about their favorite time management tools and practices, we received a surprising response — many have returned to using the traditional paper and pencil list. Why? The reason: the current time management tools are complex, confusing, and consume too much time to learn! Too much time to learn, but isn’t the science of time management supposed to save us time?

Could it be that we have incorrectly defined the problem all these years and time is not the issue? This is akin to placing a ladder on a wall to climb and finding out after reaching the top of the ladder that we are in the wrong place. Our current time practices attempt to squeeze more things to do into smaller compartments of time with the hope we might feel some satisfaction at reducing our master task list at the end of the day. And, this task list is a monster, gobbling more of our time to manage, prioritize, and control, leaving us feeling out of control and uttering miserably, “I am so far behind.” Out of breath yet? Read the rest of this article »

by Ashley Andrus and Linda Anderson

Think again…you can’t afford NOT to invest in your leaders during this turbulent time.

The very real pressures of an economic downturn and the tightening of learning budgets doesn’t mean professional development needs to go away. Not surprisingly, there is an increased need for leadership development as organizations face uncertain conditions and find they need the essential skills that are vital during reorganization and periods of adjustment.

Because many organizations are facing unavoidable restructuring due to reduced resources, according to a survey recently completed by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (results overview here), 54% of organizational leaders expect a greater emphasis on leadership development and 37% anticipate an increase in soft skills development. The survey also noted that during prior slow economic periods, over a quarter of organizations—the forward-thinking ones—resisted the urge to reduce their training budgets. Read the rest of this article »

by Ashley Andrus and Linda Anderson

Though the State of Colorado’s unemployment rate grew to 7.2 percent in February 2009, there are still industries in the state that are thriving and adding employees in a variety of job categories.

The energy sector remains strong with a diverse range of career opportunities. According to a release on Thursday March 26th by Gov. Ritter’s office, “This week alone, Colorado has seen three straight days of new job announcements, which will create more than 1,600 clean energy and water jobs over the coming years.” Growing companies in this sector include organizations like The Water Company in Pueblo, Ascent Solar in Thornton, and Vestas Wind Systems in Brighton.

Organizations in this sector will receive an additional boost as stimulus funds begin to be infused into renewable energy technology and efficiency programs. Colorado’s new energy leadership — with its strong presence of renewable energy companies positioned across the state – is widely expected to provide an edge in the competition for federal stimulus dollars to promote the enhancement and growth of this new energy sector. Part of these funds is to be set aside for state energy programs that will provide career training to fill the numerous jobs being created by the new growth. Read the rest of this article »