The Eagle Blog has a new home!

Have Fun!

It seems a little strange to make a statement like that ... certainly anyone who knows me knows that I am someone who does have fun. However I am also a very busy person, running my own business, involved in the industry association, involved in charitable work, involved with my family etc. It would be easy to let "busy" get in the way of fun!

I make this statement because I believe FUN should be a PRIORITY! That is very different than just taking fun where you get it.

On Saturday evening we had a party, with about 70 friends. It didn't just happen. it took a bunch of work ... but 70 people had a ton of fun!

You can choose to plan fun into the future ... book a show, plan a weekend away, plan a day trip or any number of things that willincrease your fun factor!

Alternately, you could just let life happen and there will be some fun in there somewhere but circumstance will determine how much fun you have.

Does this sound at all familiar?

I have blogged many times about taking charge of your life, taking charge of your career, taking charge of your days ... in EXACTLY the same way, you can take charge of how much fun you have!

Tenacity

Tenacity is a quality that I can admire ... it is a quality displayed by people who (a) want something; (b) recognise that in order to get it they need to make some kind of sacrifice and (c) they suck it up and make it happen.

Tenacity can come in many forms ... big and small, but in almost all cases it can be an impressive quality and a lack of tenacity tells me something about a person.

Small opportunities to demonstrate tenacity come every day ... it could be the difference between taking a few extra minutes to put some thought and effort into a task; or just rattling off a quick "throw away" response.

I see it demonstrated in sports, when two players battle for a puck or a soccer ball ... tenacious players don't give up.

I see it with sales people ... winners keep on trying.

I see it with businesses that battle through adversity.

I see it with young people that have a vision of what they want in life and they are willing to go and get it.

One of the other things I often see in tenacious people is that (a) it either is just a natural state, or (b) it has become second nature ... to the point they don't even recognise it as a special talent. I like to applaud tenacity when I see it ... it is a quality to recognise, to encourage and to reward, even if that just means saying "way to go"!

Tenacious people are winners in the small things ... but ultimately they are the people who go on to achieve bigger things, and to have the opportunity of really "living" their lives.

CANADIAN JOB MARKET – Mini update Aug/Sep 2010

General Observations:

In August Canada gained 80,000 full time jobs and lost 44,000 part time jobs, for a net gain of 36,000 jobs … however an increase in people entering the workforce meant that the unemployment rate went up, albeit marginally, from 8% to 8.1%. The Canadian Staffing index for August was up 4 basis points, suggesting strong growth in the temporary help and contract world in August. As we have seen for some time now, any good news appears to come with a little bad news too … so, while the recovery continues in an overall positive trajectory, it is slow and with a “2 steps forward, one step back” motion.

The markets continue to be volatile, however at time of writing the TSX is up a little at 12,144, from last month at this time when it was 11,788. The Bank of Canada introduced its third hike in three months resulting in the prime business rate hitting 3%. The intent being to fight inflation, however there is still concern that the recovery is not yet stable enough to put it at risk by increasing the cost of borrowing. The housing markets have slowed down and the banks are getting competitive with mortgage rates to try and generate some business that way.

Eagle focuses on the supply of both IT professionals and Accounting professionals and at a high level we are seeing a continued increase in demand across the board, with some markets getting quite hot (GTA), some “getting there” (Calgary, Montreal) and other still improving but not yet there (Vancouver, Edmonton). There are also markets where things are just not even warm yet (Ottawa).

More Specifically:

As already indicated, the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) continues to be the hottest market in demand for professionals. The financial sector drives the demand but we are seeing other sectors heating up too, notably the communications sector and insurance industry with increasing demand almost across the board. More and more we are seeing savvy clients “locking in” on longer term contracts, and ensuring that their hiring processes are “slick” to ensure they don’t lose great people through indecision. The best candidates are in great demand and enjoying “multiple offers”, so clients are again looking at attraction and retention strategies. The Ontario government market has been somewhat slower than expected, but the pent-up demand is expected to hit some time in the Fall

Alberta continues to lead the way in demand in Western Canada, but is certainly not back to the “boom days” of a couple of years ago. One trend that appears to be increasing is the awarding of large scale outsourcing contracts which will see more work move offshore. In the meantime there is still a pretty healthy demand, and the “great” resources are being snapped up quickly. August, while a traditionally quieter month due to vacations was actually quite busy, so September is expected to “raise the bar” in demand for talent, even higher. The rest of the West was a little quiet in August, with some talk of coming initiatives in the Fall, but not a lot of action.

In Eagle’s Eastern Canada Region Montreal continues to be quite busy, most particularly in the permanent rather than temp/contract world, and like the GTA it is the financial sector, telcos and system integrators that have the biggest demand. Ottawa has been very quiet of late, with word that employment in the Federal ranks reduced year over year (from 165,500 to 159,000) for the first time in a long time(lowest since 2005). Once again the Fall is anticipated to bring an increase in demand, which will be welcomed by most suppliers.

The following are some facts/indicators we are watching as of time of writing:

> The price of oil is a little over $75 a barrel, about the same as last month … activity in the oil patch continues to be busy.
> Natural Gas prices are pretty steady.
> The markets continue to be pretty volatile, however the TSX was up a little to 12,144 from 11,781 last month.
> The Canadian dollar remains about the same at $97.83c US.
> Prime rose to 3% after three recent increases!
> Canada added 80,000 full time jobs, lost 44,000 part time jobs resulting in a gain of 36,000 jobs, however there was a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 8.1% from 8.0%.
> Eagle continues to see a pickup in activity in most sectors … banks, energy companies, and telcos in particular. Clients are recognising the need to develop recruitment and retention strategies, in addition to having smooth efficient hiring practices.
> The Canadian Federal government seems to have slowed spending and reduced its employment ranks. Suppliers in this market are all hurting a little.
> Canada’s Staffing Index gained 4 basis points to 89, against the benchmark 100 set in July 2008 … another significant step towards recovery.

Summary:

Job seekers in the Canadian market enjoy the fact that Canada is faring better than many other countries. Canada is generally adding jobs on a regular basis, enjoys an unemployment rate of 8.1% compared to higher in the EU and the US. The Canadian dollar is also consistently strong, helping many Canadian companies and many indicators are good that our recovery is continuing.

We are however still recovering from recession, and while there is increasing demand for the most qualified workers, there is still reduced appetite for investment in new entrants to the workforce, or in retooling employees. This will change as the economy continues to recover and we truly start to see the skills and labour shortages reappear. Until that time job applicants will need to work hard to get jobs.

In most of the major markets we are seeing an increase in demand for “skilled”, experienced professionals. The end of the summer vacation period should see an increase in activity and we are expecting a very busy hiring period

We are educating our clients on the need to develop excellent retention strategies, contract for longer periods and move quickly when in the hiring cycle. These best practices will ensure that they don’t lose out on the best candidates because someone else was that bit quicker, or had slightly better “selling messages”.

Next month I anticipate telling you about just how busy the market has been … let’s hope I’m right!

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Eagle finds GREAT Technology employees for our clients across Canada!

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Adopt a GOOD Attitude

Attitude is one of my favorite topics for this blog, and I have to be careful not to over do my "obsession" with the subject. I have written about it many times, its importance to individuals, to companies, to teams and to family.

Everyone wants to be around the positive, outgoing characters ... they just make you feel better. Yet we ALL have the ability to develop and display the kind of attitude that we want!

As a regular reader of Seth Godin's blog I was struck (once again) by a recent blog entry suggesting that in previous times Your Smile Didn't Matter. Its a thought provoking piece, because he suggests that today its ALL about attitude!

Its funny that he talks about smiling, when he talks about attitude ... and as usual, he is right on the money!

Take a few minutes and re-visit a couple of my older blog entries. Back in 2006, not long after starting this blog I wrote an entry called Attitude - The Answer!

It must have been on my mind because that year I also posted a blog entry called Smile ... its contagious.

In August 2007 I referenced a study that suggested you should Be Positive and Live Longer!

And of course ... one of my first blog entries is also one of my favourite sayings ... Walk Fast and Smile!

Some clarification:

Everyone can adopt a positive attitude ... it is all in your own hands.
It has NOTHING to do with personality types, Zodiac signs, how you are raised, wealth or any external thing ... it is all in your head!
It costs you nothing.
You WILL feel better.
You WILL make others feel better.
Like Nike says ... Just Do It!

Seth Godin suggests that the new world (and I'm always talking about how everything is changing) requires you to have a great attitude ... he's right! I just think that the "old world" wanted it too ... its just more important now!

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Let Eagle find your next Finance and Accounting Professional!
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Some Sales Tips

Ladies and Gentlemen ... I am a recovering Salesperson!

Let's admit it ... salespeople can be frustrating. They tend (generalisation) to be sloppy with paperwork, they might not be so good at following process, sometimes they might even bend your rules a little.

Every company has its own way of doing things and certainly all companies need to work with their sales team to make sure that process is followed, that paperwork is done and that their own application of "the rules" does not put the company at risk.

There WILL be time when the behaviour is just not acceptable.

Having said that ... here are some truths!

• Every company NEEDS sales.
• The sales organization drives business.
• Without salespeople there is no business.

What a connundrum! Whatever can you, as a business owner or executive do?

Can't live with them ... can't live without them!

EDUCATION!!!!!

1. Work with the team ... continuously!
2. Have established processes ... and train them about how to use them.
3. Explain why the processes are there, don't just tell them "do it or else".
4. Listen to their input.
5. Encourage lifelong learning.
6. Encourage professionalism.
7. If in Canada, get them to join the Canadian Professional Sales Association.
8. Develop a sales methodology for your company ... and train them.
9. Have regular learning sessions.
10. Teach them about the ethics of your comapny ... just where is that hard line!


It is easy to find regular sales related articles and share them with your team ... and encourage them to comment/discuss. Here are just a couple of VERY recent articles from Profit magazine:
> 5 Fast Ways to Spur Your Salespeople
> Help for Timid Cold Callers


The sales organization can be the BEST part of your company ... it can also be the most frustrating. Make it the best!

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (Canada's Professional Staffing Company)
Have you tried Eagle's (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?

You ... at Work

I was talking with someone recently and they were regaling me with stories of conflict in the workplace, and how often HR organizations are need to deal with "interpersonal issues", "personality clashes" etc.

I have written on this subject a couple of times previously (having almost 1,000 blog entries I guess I have "spouted off" about a lot of things!) ... but here are a couple of links you might find interesting.

In June this year i wrote a piece called Professionalism, which talked about establishing your "Professional Brand".

In February this year I wrote a piece called "How to Behave in the WorkPlace".

AND ... here are a few rules that I think you should remember.

1. Your co-workers did not choose to be your spouse, your partner or even your friend (although that happens sometimes) ... so when at work be a "work colleague".
2. If you have issues in your private life, then you should deal with them during your own time ... and not let them affect your work time.
3. Your lifestyle requirements should be formed based upon your income ... not the other way around.
4. Your boss, your HR department and your colleagues are at work to focus on work so they appreciate everyone else who takes that same approach.
5. Build balance in your life ... work should not be your life, yet it should be an important part of your life. Give each part its due.
6. Take the emotion out of your dealings with colleagues ... it doesn't matter if you like them or not, you all have a job to do.
7. Make decisions based on facts, business realities, best practices etc.
8. communicate professionally with all around you.
9. Always treat the other person the way you would like to be treated in the workplace.
10. Get thick skin.

Some people will think this harsh ... I think its just common sense.

Aggressive Sales Techniques

My background is in sales, and as CEO of my own company my role is a sales role too.

As a salesperson I have a couple of competing emotions when dealing with members of that profession:

a. I have some empathy for them, understanding the challenges they face and having "been there" myself;
b. I have high expectations of them, wanting them to represent the "good things" about the profession of sales.

It is a tough job, and learning to be successful is a lifelong task. One of the toughest things to master is that fine line between aggression and persistence.

Perhaps one of the toughest things about that particular challenge is that we (the clients) are all different, and the positioning of our "barriers" is different. What is acceptable to me might be "obnoxious" to you, and vice versa.

I have always tended to the conservative side of that equation, but with sufficient persistence that I shouldn't be missing out on opportunities. However, the aggressive competitor just might scoop some business from me if I am not persistent enough.

A tough quandary for which every salesperson needs to find their own answer.

Here is an example ... I read a sales advice column that suggested a tactic that might work with prospects who are not returning cold calls. The suggestion was to send that person a calendar entry, scheduling yourself in for a conference call to talk about your service or product.

That tactic has been used on me a couple of times, and it really ticked me off. I told the offending companies to remove me from their mailing lists.

So ... what is the right answer? Here are a few thoughts ...

1. If the salepeople using that tactic had positive results from 10% of their clients, then that might be a whole lot more than if they did not use the tactic.
2. I got mad and told them to take me off their list ... but I wasn't going to buy anyway. Maybe they were better knowing I was "no prospect" rather than wasting their time with me?
3. If the downside results in bad press, how far will that spread and what is the damage done vis-a-vis the increased response rate?

Interesting eh? The aggressive sales guy would get more business than me in this scenario ... but its still not a tactic I would be comfortable using.

What do you think?

Building Your Proficiency Through Practice

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers suggests that it takes 5,000 hours of “practice” to master a skill … he gives examples of professional athletes (soccer and hockey players) and even some tech leaders (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs etc.) as examples of his theory.

Here is the thing … going to work every day and “doing your job” is not the same thing as 5,000 hours of “practice”.

• If you want to get better as a soccer player then you invest time in soccer specific training. Playing games is the best type of practice!
• If you want to be better as a recruiter then you invest time in recruiter specific training, including learning on the job.
• If you want to be a GREAT salesperson then you need to be constantly willing to learn about the profession of selling. Again, on the job training is one of the best ways to learn.

Ask yourself some basic questions …

• Do you try to learn from others?
• Do you read books and literature that will help you in your job?
• Do you assess what is most effective under which scenarios?
• Do you debate with your colleagues about what works and what doesn’t?
• Are you open minded enough to accept input, and try new things?
• Do you take advantage of the opportunities your company provides for learning?

The people who excel and get to be great at what they do, apply themselves all the time.

Professional athletes don’t achieve their level of skill without “working at it”, Bill Gates did not get to be as proficient as he is with computers, that led to his ultimate success, without “working at it”.

Every day we go to work to do the job that we are paid to do … since we have to do it anyway, doesn’t it make sense to apply ourself to be the best we can be?

I think a lot of people don’t apply themselves because they feel like they are doing it for “the boss” or “the man”. Some think it is far better to try and get by with the minimum possible effort. Those people are really hurting themselves with that strategy.

We should make the effort, learn and get better for ourselves … because ultimately it is us that benefits. We benefit in increased skills, which are the ONLY job security in our 21st century workforce … but we also benefit in increased self-esteem, personal satisfaction and a feeling that we are doing something worthwhile, not just “putting in hours”.

Are you building up your hours of proficiency … or are you stuck in the rut of “working for the man”?

Be a Giver NOT a Taker!

This is one of the subjects I address quite often because its important to me ... and I think it should be important to you too.

Here are some random thoughts ...

1. Giving back is a good habit to develop ... start early, even if its only a little bit.
2. Good things happen for people who give.
3. We all get calls from people trying to raise funds for good causes. Remember that those people are typically volunteering their own time (on top of the donations they make), so be nice to them. (That would be me!)
4. If you are reading this then likely you enjoy a good standard of living. You earned that. However you would not have been able to achieve what you have achieved without the structure around you called the community in which you live and operate. Give back to those communities.
5. If you are in business then your success is partly due to the communities in which you operate, so give back to those communities. I heard a story about a successful entrepreneur who thinks that because he creates jobs then he is giving back to the community ... I would suggest that he is actually taking from the community to further his own success! The world is full of TAKERS, but it is the GIVERS who I want to associate with!
6. Give a little more this year, than you gave last year.
7. If you are wondering why you should give, then visit some of those agencies that need your support and see the great work that they do.
8. Give some time back, as well as the money you donate. Spending time with people in the non-profit centre helps you to see the world just a little differently.
9. Think about your giving and find causes that really interest you ... there are so many, you should be able to get "involved" with one of them.
10. When you are bemoaning your lot in life,feeling overworked and underpaid, then take a minute to think about those people in the non-profit sector who work so hard for very low incomes!

If we make charitable giving (including time) a part of our lives we can make a huge difference in our society, and we benefit from that improved society ... its also a feel-good experience!

Be a Giver NOT a Taker!

What is Important?

"Everything is relative" ... is a great statement.

If you are told that you have a terminal illness then life comes into sharp focus ... we quickly understand where our priorities should be.

Does that mean that work, career, hobbies, achievements, fitness, travel etc, are NOT important?

Of course not ... because for most of us those things are about life, and we since we only get one chance at living then we need to the best we can for ourselves.

So ... UNLESS someone comes to give you terrible news that causes you to refocus, you need to live life to the fullest!

ENJOY!

ACHIEVE ... and be proud of those achievements!

GIVE ... and enjoy giving!

One last point ... the little things that "niggle" can really drag you down. This is where that earlier statement comes in, "Everything is relative"! In the great scheme of things, if you focus on seeing the good in life then it will FREE YOU to ENJOY, ACHIEVE, GIVE etc etc

Think about it!

IT Industry News for August 2010

This is my 30,000 foot look at events in the ICT industry for August 2010. What you see here is a précis of the monthly report I produce, which is available in more detail at the News section of the Eagle website, where you will also find back issues.

I think its interesting to look back and see what was news in previous years, and how it might affect news today. Perhaps one of the most noticeable things I see is that some of the most successful and largest companies have a track record of growth through acquisition, and with practice they get very good at it!

Four years ago in August 2006 IBM was busy buying four companies ISS ($1.3B), FileNet ($1.6B), MRO Software ($740M) and Webify; Sandisk bought M-Systems ($1.6B) and LogicaCMG bought WM-data Nordic ($1.5B). There were also a number of announced layoffs at CSC, CA, AOL and Sun. Three years ago in August 2007 Acer paid $700M for Gateway and Wipro bought US company Infocrossing for $600M. Hackers were in the news having scooped 1.6 million records from Monster and a study suggested hacking attempts on banks were up 80%. Two years ago in August 2008 Ricoh paid $1.6B for Ikon Office Solutions, Bae (UK) bid $1B for Detica Group (UK), and Compucom bought Getronics (former Wang) to form a $2.1B company. Hard on their heels was a big move by Indian outsourcing company Infosys, paying $750M plus for Axon group in the UK. A biggish one for Canada was the private equity buy of Q9 networks for $360M by CDC. Last year in August 2009, the weather was lousy (in contrast to a great Summer this year) but there was some optimism about the economy in the air, even though unemployment news was still bleak. There were some household names making acquisitions, but no huge deals … Facebook bought Friendfind and Myspace bought iLike. Google enhanced its video capability with the purchase on On2 Technologies; Rim bought a mobile browser company Torch Mobile; and Fluke Networks improved its wireless capability with the purchase of Airmagnet. CSC grew its Brazilian operation through the purchase of bankrupt Bearingpoint’s local operations.

All of which brings us back to August Twenty-ten and here in Ontario as we continue to enjoy great weather we remain fairly optimistic about our economic future. Certainly if M&A activity is an indicator then August would suggest that we are well on our way … it was a very busy month for acquisitions.

Google made the most buys this month, bulking up with five acquisitions (Socialdeck, Angstro, Slide, Jambool and Like.com). Having said that Intel spent the most money … paying $7.7 billion for McAfee AND $1.4 billion for Infinion Technology’s wireless division! IBM made a couple of buys (Datacap and Unica Corp); HP bought Fortify Software and Stratavia. Another big dollar purchase was the $900 million paid by 3M for Cogent; CA paid $200 million for Arcot Systems; Rim, Cisco, Citrix and Nokia were all out shopping too! I think that makes August the busiest M&A month for a long time … and even on the last day of the month HP and Dell are “duking it out” to see who will by 3PAR, with the latest price in the $2 billion range.

HP made their two acquisitions above and are in the hunt for 3PAR but they had a tough month, losing CEO Mark Hurd to a scandal and paying a $55 million fine for alleged kickbacks on government contracts. Another company with some challenges this month was RIM, which is “under attack” in several countries who have issues with their security … Saudi Arabia, UAE and India are all having issues with RIM’s blackberry service.

There were some good indicators of recovery from Europe, the US added 42,000 jobs in July while Canada lost 9,300 … all supporting the consistent message that the recovery is a two steps forward and one step back kind of process! Another interesting month on the long road to economic recovery! … hope this has been of interest to you.

That's what caught my eye over the last month, the full edition will be available soon on the Eagle website. Hope this was useful and I’ll be back with the September 2010 industry news in just about a month’s time.

We Are All Different … Even Clients!

Human nature is a funny thing. One of the traits that we tend to have is that we think other people are like us, and yet we already know that there are all kinds of people!

How does this affect us in business?

We often assume that a client will react in the same way that we would. So … we “fake ourselves out” sometimes because we think a client will react negatively, because that is what we might do.

A client may ask for a discount ... we examine the situation, do some analysis and determine we can't give one. A salesperson delivering that message will often be apologetic, embarrassed or any other kind of emotion, yet more often than not the client will say, "Yeah, that's what I thought ... but I had to ask!"

A salesperson might say, “I can’t call the client too early in the day because he/she needs time to get settled in.” A classic case of projecting our own thoughts on someone else … many clients would love to get business calls early in the morning.

“I don’t think our clients will like this marketing giveaway”. What is really being said is that I don’t like it! This is a personal experience for me, I have been involved with tons of “give aways” here at Eagle, some of which I just didn’t like … but I learned early, that everyone has different tastes, and mine are not always representative of the clients! Go figure!

One of the greatest attributes a salesperson can build on is their empathy. Wikipedia’s description includes many versions of this word, this is the one I like best in this context ...

Alvin Goldman: The ability to put oneself into the mental shoes of another person to understand her emotions and feelings.

If we can truly understand what our clients are thinking, and feeling, then we can really make sure that we are giving them what they want … rather than giving them what "we would want" if we were in their place!

The best way to learn about how our clients are thinking is to get to know them well, to ask lots of questions, to be ACTUALLY interested in their answers (shock) and to work at building a relationship.

The Hail Mary

In football (the “other” football played with a rugby-type ball) the term “Hail Mary pass” is applied to a speculative long throw of the ball, in the general direction of a forward who is a long way down the field. It is often used as a last gasp attempt to get a game winning touch down in the dying seconds of a game.

In the “dot com” days people built what I deemed to be “Hail Mary companies” … they would have an idea, put enough effort into them that a prototype or “early stage” product could be shown … with the hope of a big pay day. There were quite a few people who made a lot of money in those days.

The example of that success is both good news and bad news …

… the good news is that entrepreneurs are encouraged to take a risk, and to have hope that a “pot of gold” could be at the end of that rainbow, which means that new and innovative ideas do get off the ground. Those "winners" enjoyed financial success, but they gambled and won.

… the bad news is that a lot of people (wannabe entrepreneurs?) have unrealistic expectations about the “ease” of achieving wealth, or the “return on investment” they should expect for a couple of years of effort. The vast majority of us just won't get that quick win!

Sometimes we see this same attitude in the workplace … an employee might look at the “few” examples where people excelled, were fast-tracked or had exceptional earnings and hold them up as the example of how they expect to be treated. (Probably with no clear idea of ALL the parameters that led to that success)

The “Hail Mary” approach to life will result in success for some people … but so will buying a lottery ticket. The reality for most of us is that success will come from hard work, over a long period of time … together with a bit of luck and a great attitude.

Here are 10 steps towards achieving some success in your life …

1. Be realistic …
2. Make a plan …
3. Work the plan …
4. Revisit the plan periodically and make adjustments as necessary …
5. Measure yourself against other people so that you can strive to be better …
6. Don’t measure yourself against other people to fret about what they have and you don’t …
7. Work hard …
8. Keep a positive attitude …
9. Keep learning …
10. Don’t EVER give up …