Early Signs of an Economic Recovery—Are You Ready?
You may say they’re delusional, but some experts contend there are early signs of an economic recovery. If an economic turnaround is, indeed, at hand, companies and their leaders need to be positioned to make the most of it, and beat their competitors at winning increased business when it happens, says Suzanne Bates, author of “Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!” and president and CEO of Bates Communication.  Here are Bates’ top tips for making the most of the recovery:

• “Although the recovery may be six months or more away, there have been some encouraging signs it is beginning to sprout,” she says. “Companies need to start putting leaders, policies, and programs in place to fully capitalize on the recovery when it is in full swing.”
  
  
• Bates says many companies are not ideally positioned in critical areas for when this promised turnaround kicks into high gear—especially regarding leadership, employee motivation, and career development.
  
  
• “Due to layoffs of more experienced and higher-salaried managers, some employees have been promoted from within to replace them who do not have the necessary leadership, management, and motivational capabilities to capitalize on the recovery,” she explains. “Some employees who were promoted may have the technical and functional skills required to perform their new jobs, but may lack the finer interpersonal and career development skills.”
  
  
• There also will be increased pressure on businesses to retain and attract their best people during a recovery, when job opportunities will be more plentiful for current workers and desired new recruits, says Bates. “If your company downsized with an ax rather than using a scalpel,” she notes, “you now may have some gaping holes to fill.” 
  
  
• Closely assess the motivational capabilities of your leaders. “A leader's role is to motivate and inspire others. Managers and executives must be able to energize the workforce, and connect people with purpose and passion toward a common goal,” she points out. “It's critical companies have leaders who can motivate others, especially after workers have undergone the demoralizing effects of layoffs and other cutbacks. Learn what motivates your people, and what will keep them engaged in their jobs.”
  
  
• Evaluate the ability of your managers to develop others. “Current employees will want to see they have a future with the company in order to stay aboard when hiring picks up,” she says.  “High-potential employees and knowledge workers will want to work for managers who engage them and understand their value, which also will be important to attracting the best talent in a more competitive job market.”
  
  
• Make managing the emotional side of your organization a top priority. “Managers and executives need to listen well, and develop a strong feedback loop so they know what is really going on deep in their organizations—where the creativity lives,” Bates advises. “Leaders need to be able to harvest the best ideas and energize their teams to innovate and find solutions. This requires a level of communication skills many managers and executives have not yet developed.”
  
  
• Regularly recognize and reward employees by using low-cost and no-cost incentives such as personal e-mails, newsletter articles, verbal praise, and thank you notes. “Utilize different ways to keep employees motivated and glad to be working for your company,” Bates says, “They will be more likely to remain with you when the job market improves.”

You've prepared your company for the worst. But what about preparations for a better-than-expected outcome to these financial straits? What are you doing as workforce managers to ensure your company cashes in on the eventual economic recovery?   Join the discussion on Training Day.

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New Chief HR Officer at ZS Associates
Jeff Griese joined global consulting firm ZS Associates as chief human resources officer.  He is based in the firm's headquarters in Evanston, IL. Griese comes to ZS after 28 years with Accenture, where he served most recently as global director of human resources for the Resources Operating Group. Before that, he was based in London as Accenture's director of HR for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India.

Recruitment Technology Partnership Launched
TalentDrive, creator of SaaS recruitment technology TalentFilterSM, partnered with myStaffingPro. The partnership is designed to combine the strength of TalentFilter’s sourcing and matching technology with the full-featured applicant tracking and recruiting system of myStaffingPro, offering users continuous access to a large pool of applicants.

Your latest partnerhip or new endeavor has launched. But do you know everything, from putting out fires to fueling engagement, to ensure it succeeds?

No. 1 Piece of Advice for 2009 Grads?
Adecco’s latest American Workplace Insights Survey offers advice from college graduates of every generation.  The bad news: A vast majority (72 percent) believes graduates in 2009 have more worries than their own graduating class.  The good news: Some 71 percent of today’s college graduates should resist the urge to take any job available or follow the money; instead they should stick to their goals and aim for job satisfaction.

How Economically Optimistic Are You?
When 814 job seekers attended Workforce Central Florida's job fair last month, the organization took the opportunity to ask them their thoughts on the economy.
To the question, “How long do you estimate it will take the economy to return to recover?” answers were as follows:
1.4 percent: three months

3.3 percent: six months

38.6 percent: one year

30.5 percent: two years

26.2 percent: three or more years

Do you know what it takes to be an ethical leader?