Six Steps to Avoid Becoming Obsolete (or Worse) on the Job

The Client: It only seemed natural that James was angry. Wouldn’t you be angry if you were being passed over for a promotion? And this wasn’t the first time. Last month, there was a really big project being drafted by the Leadership Team that was loaded with more authority, more responsibility and, of course, more money. James was sure he was a sure-fit for the position. But to his dismay, it was offered to a younger, less tenured employee. Now a much juicer promotion was on the table and that promised even more than the other position. A company car, high visibility among the company’s Board of Trustees, overseeing a huge division and more prestige than he ever imagined (but so sorely desired). But it was not offered to him. As a matter of fact, not only was it not offered but he was never even considered for the promotion. To make matters even more distasteful, it was offered to an employee whom James used to supervise less than two years ago.

Anger, frustration, resentment and fear combined with a huge dose of denial quickly became intimate and frequent visitors to James’ psyche. How could he be treated so unfair especially in view of all his years of experience and skills? Didn’t that mean anything? Wasn’t he entitled to being recognized for all that he’d given to the company. All those early morning arrivals before anyone got to the office and he was always the last one to leave. Several years ago he launched and completed a very successful project and was congratulated by the President of the company himself. Didn’t that mean anything? How could they treat him so callously. A man of his stature.

The Problem: James’ situation is more common to the workplace than not. In this day of career-minded, not-ready-to-retire Baby Boomers and as-yet-to-be-career-fulfilled Generation Xers (remember them?), the workforce is literally an “Employers Market”. Yet, many of these workers find themselves struggling either to find employment after having been downsized or to feel valued. It is the latter situation that this article is intended to address.

James’ problem was not related to his technical performance, ie., his ability to perform the duties required of his position for which he was hired. He has a long history of receiving stellar performance evaluations by his supervisors. Rather, James’s problem was related to his inability to understand the “new” rules of the workplace and to incorporate them into a regular practice. You see, James started his career believing that if you go to work early, stay late, come in on weekends and always be ready to “take one for the team” then your efforts would be recognized and you would be justly rewarded. Hey, that’s how it worked for his dad, right? Well, yes, but that’s not how the workplace of the 21st century operates any longer. At one time it was, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That’s now been rewritten to, “It’s not what you know or who you know. It’s who knows you!”. Loyalty to the employer as well as loyalty to the company used to be the heard on the old job airwaves. Now, the station has a new frequency on station, “WII- FM” or more commonly known as “What’s In It For Me?” The rules have changed and poor James needed help to figure it out. That’s where I came in!

The Solution: James was wounded and needed, even more than a promotion or higher salary, a boost in his self-confidence. Like many others, James’ identity and self-esteem were tightly wound into his job to the point where it was hard to separate the two. Helping James to renew his self-image was job #1. For the purpose of this article, I will condense the timeframe, but since James was motivated to work, he was able to do some remarkable things in a very brief timeframe.

The Outcome: We examined some of his beliefs about himself and looked at the things he values. It wasn’t long before James was able to redefine and separate “who” he is and the core of his essence from his career and vocational Self. James could now see that his worth was more than a paycheck or a promotion or anything external to himself. We then focused on developing strategies to help him improve his chances to getting on-the-job recognition (yes, that is still important to him, but now the degree to which he weighs its importance has been shifted to a more tolerable level).

Here are some highlights of the strategies James and I co-created:

Job Vacancy Indonesia People are hired because they are liked and fired because they’re not! It’s not often that people are hired or promoted solely because of their technical skills. Sometimes the best technical skills a candidate has that makes them a good hire is their ability to drop twenty foot putts with a fair degree of frequency or they can play “like Mike!” More often than not, people are hired because the company feels they “fit” into the existing culture. Find out what your supervisor likes in his/her employees and what he/she values in themselves. Find out why you were hired and make sure you keep those skills and qualities in constant view.

It really is about “who knows you”. Equally important is who knows you. Make it a point to find out who the movers-and-shakers are in the organization and find out why. Informational interviews are effective. Also, asking others why they consider someone to be a leader within the organization is another way to gather helpful information. Once you have the information you need, develop a strategy that ensures they get to know who you are and your value to the company.

Vacancy 

High Vacancy Rates Leading to Excess Office Space

By Andre Nixon

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

There is currently an excess of office space in Las Vegas leading to a high rate of vacancy. The rates are in the range of 17 to 19% which is very high. The financial meltdown in U.S had affected the real estate domain pretty badly, leading to shrinkage in demand of office space in Las Vegas. In the year 2008, the work space required touched a low figure of 637,800 square feet. People need to wait till the end of 2010 for the vacancy rates to get lower and approach the normal rate of 10%. New office products are already being visible online in the current year which is a healthy change from the past year. With so much work space lying vacant, the construction work of many executive office suites has naturally been kept on hold.

The vacancy rates have already started to decrease and new employment opportunities are being created gradually. With the currently pending constructions works again being started, one can expect many of the ongoing projects to be completed within the next 9 to 12 months. The market is thereby expected to stabilize along with recovery in all the major industrial and financial domains. With the prevailing uncertainty, offices owned by banks are involved in most of the sales being done now. Banks are also trying to seize this opportunity by concentrating on sale of office space in Las Vegas. They are enhancing their portfolios with competition from the private players being less. The private bodies / individuals are waiting for the situation to be better.

It is worth mentioning that in 2008 the commercial real-estate markets were facing a major credit crunch. But in the current financial year, the previously hesitant financial institutions are offering real-estate loans to those possessing adequate quantity of equity and having a good credit / business history. Currently the credit card companies are following a safety-first approach and keeping their money intact. The earlier they start relaxing this approach the faster can the business recovery in office rental and office space be achieved. The average rental charge of office space in Las Vegas is about $2.5 per square foot. Many projects have already been completed, like the 65,000 square-feet Hughes Airport Center, the 144,300 square-feet Eastgate Plaza II (Houston), etc.

Commercial offices are right now apprehensive of buying any office properties and are rather willing to get office space on lease. With every passing day, one can notice an improvement in the housing market situation. Executive office suites are mainly being provided in Henderson, Summerlin, Central Vegas, and near the airport. The highest vacancy rate was noticed in the northern part of Las Vegas with figures touching an abysmal 31.6%. Although any category and size of business can get office space in Las Vegas, commercial / business real estate is not much in demand in downtown Las Vegas. Shared office space, temporary work space, furnished units, serviced units are all provided in Las Vegas by the real estate agents / brokers. Monthly and short-term lease options are being preferred by businesses rather than long-term leases.

DA Promotion Board Vs Vacancy Promotion - Field Grade Officer Promotion Tips

By Charles Holmes

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

In the Army National Guard, Field Grade Officer promotions happen two different ways. They are known as: DA Boards & Vacancy Promotions. Let's cover them in a little more detail below.

Vacancy Promotions: In my opinion, vacancy promotions are the fastest and easiest way to get promoted in the Army National Guard. Here's how it works. Several months before you meet your minimum time in grade requirements, you should seek a position in the next higher grade.

For instance, if you are a Major, you should begin looking for a Lieutenant Colonel slot once you have been a Major for at least three and a half years. That way, when you meet your minimum four year time-in-grade requirements, you can submit a state-level promotion packet.

At this point, your state will convene a promotion board to review your packet. Once they approve your promotion, you will get a promotion order and your promotion packet gets forwarded to National Guard Bureau to begin your Federal Recognition (FED REC) process. The FED REC process takes 3-4 months (normally). Once your FED REC process is complete, you will receive a NGB (Federal) promotion order.

Since you are already in a position in the next higher grade, you will get promoted. That's how simple it is.

DA Promotion Board: Each year, the Department of the Army holds promotion boards for Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard Officers. Each promotion board selects a group of officers based upon their date of rank. For instance, the DA Promotion Board might review Captains with a date of rank between January 2005 and August 2006.

At this point, the Department of the Army identifies all officers that fall into that date of rank category. Prior to the start of the board, officers are notified via mail and/or email that their packet will be presented to a DA Promotion board on a specific date.

Next, officers have the responsibility to ensure their packet is updated and current. They must get a new DA Photo, ensure their DA Form 2-1 is accurate, and update their records to include awards, OERs, etc. Most promotion boards provide a checklist for the officer to follow.

On the day of the DA Promotion Board, the DA Promotion Board reviews the packet of each candidate to ensure they meet minimum Army education standards, civilian education standards, APFT and Height/Weight Standards, etc. They also review the DA Photo to validate that it is accurate and current. Finally, they review the Officer Evaluation Reports to evaluate performance and potential.

At the end of the DA Board, the DA Board publishes the results.

In one respect the Active Duty Army and Army National Guard handle promotions differently. In the Active Duty Army, you receive a sequence number when you are selected at a DA Promotion Board. Everyone is given a sequence number. A sequence number is similar to an Order of Merit List. The list starts with #1 and ends with the last officer on the list. When their number comes up, they get promoted. Also, the Army finds them a job in their next higher pay-grade.

Unfortunately, the Army National Guard handles things differently. First of all, you do not get a sequence number. You get a letter of selection for promotion, BUT you must still find a unit vacancy within your state. If you can't get a slot, you won't get promoted. There are many officers who were selected for promotion by a DA Promotion Board, but never got promoted because they couldn't find a slot.