2 States Trail U.S. In Job Recovery

Wed, 07/02/2014 - 2:43pm

Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Five years after the Great Recession officially ended, most states still haven't regained all the jobs they lost, even though the nation as a whole has.

In May, the overall economy finally recovered all 9 million jobs that vanished in the worst downturn since the 1930s. Another month of solid hiring is expected in the U.S. jobs report for June that will be released Thursday.

Yet 32 states still have fewer jobs than when the recession began in December 2007 — evidence of the unevenness and persistently slow pace of the recovery.

Even though economists declared the recession over in June 2009, Illinois is still down 184,000 jobs from pre-recession levels. New Jersey is down 147,000. Both states were hurt by layoffs at factories. Florida is down 170,000 in the aftermath of its real estate market collapse.

The sluggish job market could weigh on voters in some key states when they go to the polls this fall. A Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday found that voters named the economy by far the biggest problem facing the United States.

The states where hiring lags the most tend to be those that were hit most painfully by the recession: They lost so many jobs that they've struggled to replace them all.

Nevada, which suffered a spectacular real estate bust and four years of double-digit unemployment — has fared worst. It has 6 percent fewer jobs than it did in December 2007. Arizona, also slammed by the housing collapse, is 5 percent short.

By contrast, an energy boom has lifted several states to the top of job creation rankings.

"North Dakota is the No. 1 example," says Dan White, senior economist at Moody's Analytics. "It's like its own little gold rush."

North Dakota has added 100,000 jobs since December 2007 — a stunning 28 percent increase, by far the nation's highest. The state has benefited from technology that allows energy companies to extract oil from shale, sedimentary rock formed by the compression of clay and silt.

Not surprisingly, the capital of North Dakota, Bismarck, has the lowest unemployment rate of any American city: 2.2 percent as of May.

Also benefiting from the energy boom is Texas, which has added more than 1 million jobs since December 2007, an increase of nearly 10 percent. For comparison, the nation as a whole has added only a net 113,000 jobs over that period.

Jobs in Washington D.C., where lobbying is an all but recession-proof occupation, are up 49,000, or 7 percent. The gain was led by a 10 percent increase in hiring by private employers.

Wall Street's recovery from the financial crisis has helped New York gain 237,000 jobs since the recession ended, an increase of nearly 3 percent.

Moody's White says many states are struggling because the recession wiped out solid middle-class jobs — in manufacturing and construction — that haven't returned. He says it will take a stronger housing recovery to put significantly more people back to work building houses, installing wiring and plumbing and selling furniture and appliances to new owners of homes.

Housing has rebounded somewhat since bottoming a couple of years ago. But the industry's recovery has slowed. Home construction is running at barely half the pace of the early and mid-2000s. And the United States has lost nearly 1.5 million construction workers since the end of 2007 — a 20 percent plunge. Nevada has lost half its construction workforce.

Factories have added 105,000 jobs over the past year, but manufacturing payrolls remain down 1.6 million, or 12 percent, since the start of the recession. Manufacturing jobs in Michigan hit bottom in June 2009. But the state still has 45,000, or 7 percent, fewer factory workers than it did in December 2007.

California Raises Minimum Wage

Wed, 07/02/2014 - 7:45am 

Judy Lin, Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California's minimum wage will rise to $9 an hour when a new law takes effect on Tuesday and provides workers with the first such increase since 2008.

That amount will increase again to $10 an hour starting on Jan. 1, 2016, under AB10, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last fall.

"This first modest increase will help put more money in the pockets of hardworking Californians to provide food, clothes and housing for their families," Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas, said in a statement.

AB10 is one of several laws that take effect in July. Others will provide additional protections to victims of domestic violence, expand the state's paid family leave program, and give tax breaks to manufacturers.

California's minimum wage increase comes amid a national debate about low-wage workers who have seen their purchasing power decline in recent years.

President Barack Obama has pushed Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but the proposal hasn't gained much traction. Instead, he has encouraged cities and states to raise those wages on their own.

New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Oklahoma City are among the municipalities debating minimum wage increases. In early June, the Seattle City Council voted to raise the minimum wage within the city to $15 an hour, starting next April and phasing in over several years.

Currently, the highest minimum wage in the country is in SeaTac, a Washington state town of about 25,000 that is home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The $15-an-hour minimum wage approved by voters took effect in January for workers at major hotels and parking lots, and the state Supreme Court will decide whether it also applies to workers at the airport, which is run by a separate authority.

Washington has the highest minimum wage of any state at $9.32 an hour.

In California, a bill that would have raised the state's minimum wage even higher and tied it to inflation failed in the Legislature this year.

NSA Internet Monitoring is LEGAL

Wed, 07/02/2014 - 7:59am
Ken Dilanian, AP Intelligence Writerivacy Board Says NSA's Internet Monitoring Is Legal

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Security Agency programs that collect huge volumes of Internet data within the United States are constitutional and employ "reasonable" safeguards designed to protect the rights of Americans, an independent privacy and civil liberties board has found.

In a report released Tuesday night, the bipartisan, five-member Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, appointed by President Barack Obama, largely endorsed a set of NSA surveillance programs that have provoked worldwide controversy since they were disclosed last year by former NSA systems administrator Edward Snowden.

However, the board urged new internal intelligence agency safeguards designed to further guard against misuse.

Under a provision known as Section 702, added in 2008 to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, the NSA uses court orders and taps on fiber optic lines to target the data of foreigners living abroad when their emails, web chats, text messages and other communications traverse the U.S.

Section 702 has its roots in the Terrorist Surveillance Program, a collection program President George W. Bush ordered after the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. without seeking a change in the law. After administration lawyers deemed aspects of it illegal, and after co-called warrantless wiretapping was disclosed in news reports, Congress essentially legalized the program in 2008.

Much about how the government uses Section 702 information remains unknown, including the extent to which it is used to help authorities investigate and prosecute domestic law enforcement cases, such as drug cases, unrelated to terrorism or intelligence.

Section 702 includes the so-called PRISM program, under which the NSA collects foreign intelligence from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and nearly every other major U.S. technology firm.

Because worldwide Internet communications are intermingled on fiber optic lines and in the cloud, the collection inevitably sweeps in the communications of Americans with no connection to terrorism or foreign intelligence. Since the Snowden disclosures, activists have expressed concern that a secret intelligence agency is obtaining private American communications without individual warrants. Some have questioned how such a program could be legal under the Constitution.

The board, including a Democratic federal judge, two privacy experts and two former Republican Justice Department officials, found that the NSA monitoring was legal and reasonable and that the NSA and other agencies take steps to prevent misuse of Americans' data. Those steps include "minimization," which redacts the names of Americans from intelligence reports unless they are relevant.

The board's validation of the controversial NSA surveillance program stands in contrast to its last report in January, when it argued that the NSA's collection of domestic calling records under Section 215 was unconstitutional. The Obama administration disagreed but has proposed to overhaul the program by ending NSA's collection of the records.

The new report will be voted on at a public meeting Wednesday in Washington.

"The board has seen no trace of any such illegitimate activity associated with the program, or any attempt to intentionally circumvent legal limits," the report says. That said, the board noted that the rules "potentially allow a great deal of private information about U.S. persons to be acquired by the government."

In some aspects, the board found, the programs push "close to the line of constitutional reasonableness. Such aspects include the unknown and potentially large scope of the incidental collection of U.S. persons' communications," and collection of communications about a target, such as a foreign terrorist organization, that could capture two innocent American discussing the organization.

The report offers a set of policy proposals "designed to push the program more comfortably into the sphere of reasonableness."

For example, the board recommends that NSA and CIA analysts query Section 702 data using the names or email addresses of Americans "only if the query is based upon a statement of facts showing that it is reasonably likely to return foreign intelligence information."

In contrast to the widespread questions about whether the NSA's collection of calling records under Section 215 was a valuable anti-terror tool, U.S. intelligence officials and skeptical members of Congress have agreed that Section 702 has been responsible for disrupting a series of terrorist plots and achieving insights into the intentions of foreign adversaries.

The board said, "Monitoring terrorist networks under Section 702 has enabled the government to learn how they operate, and to understand their priorities, strategies, and tactics." The programs have "led the government to identify previously unknown individuals who are involved in international terrorism.

General Management

Be intentional about workplace inspiration

By S. Chris Edmonds on June 24th, 2014 | 

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Is your work environment lifeless and dull or active and inspiring?

Most organizational leaders put greater thought, time, and energy into their products and services than they do their culture. Yet culture drives everything that happens in organizations, day to day.

Who knows best whether or not your organization provides a safe, inspiring workplace? Employees do. They don’t miss a thing.

To learn what employees think about your work environment, you need to ask them. You need to make it easy for employees to give you regular, honest perceptions of your work environment.

Glassdoor does a great job of gathering employee insights on employees’ companies. Glassdoor asks employees to rate their companies in six areas: culture and values, work/life balance, senior management, compensation and benefits, career opportunities, and their approval of the company’s CEO.

Ratings in each area contribute to the company’s overall score on a “five star” scale. Top scoring companies earn coveted spots in Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work” list. This year, the top five are (click to see the Glassdoor review of that company) Bain & Co., Twitter,LinkedIn, Eastman Chemical, and Facebook

You can check out how employees rate your company on Glassdoor. Better yet, do it yourself. Engage employees in an annual “how are we doing?” survey and gather responses on these same key areas. Some of my clients use systems like Cvent.com or FluidSurveys.com to conduct regular feedback surveys with employees.

Asking employees is the starting point. Understanding employee perceptions is easy. The hard work begins with sharing what you’ve learned, soon after the data is in. Don’t wait — and don’t hide the results. Share what you’ve learned, and share what you plan to do about gaps that employees see.

If you don’t share the results, employees’ confidence in management will fall. By sharing the results, you make a promise — to fix things, to make things better.

Once you share the results, start making needed changes. You’ll likely need to revise policies, procedures, systems — and probably some people — to increase workplace trust and dignity.

Why care about workplace inspiration? Our culture clients work hard to align plans, decisions, and actions to boost workplace inspiration — and the results are worth it. Clients who use our system consistently enjoy 40% gains in employee engagement, 40% gains in customer service, and 35% gains in net profits.

What do you have to lose?

What do you think? How safe and inspiring is your work environment? How well does your company ask employees what they think about your company – and work to resolve issues that arise? Share your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below.

Subscribe to my free weekly blog & podcast updates. Subscribers enjoy free resources and insights plus details on upcoming events and books. My next book, “The Culture Engine,” will be published by Wiley in September 2014.

Get your copy of my ChangeThis manifesto, titled “What? Your Organization Doesn’t Have a Constitution?”

I invite you to add your experiences to two “fast & free” research projects I have underway. The Great Boss Assessment compares your current boss’ behaviors with those of great bosses. The Performance-Values Assessment compares your organization’s culture practices to those of high performing, values-aligned organizations. Results and analysis are available on my research page.

5 Business Lessons from Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs

June 24, 2014

As a lifetime basketball fan, I’ve enjoyed seeing the game develop over the years. As a business strategist, I am also fascinated by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) growth into a global organization.

I was especially happy to see the San Antonio Spurs, a truly quality organization with an international team, win the NBA championship this year. Undeniably, one of the biggest reasons for the Spurs’ success is long-time coach Gregg Popovich. Under the leadership of Coach Popovich (or Pop, as he is affectionately referred), the Spurs have been America’s most successful franchise, not just in basketball, but in professional sports.

And he makes it all look easy.

How does he do it? An examination of Pop’s management style and strategy reveals many lessons that can benefit leaders from all areas of business.

Here are 5 lessons for all of us from Coach Pop:

1. Be willing to adapt. The game of basketball has changed – and so has Pop. From changing the game plan to fit aging players to adjusting to trends in the sport, he is always looking to tweak and keep his team performing at a high level…despite being the longest tenured coach in any of America’s four major sports leagues.

Just one example: the increased use of the 3 point line. In recent years, NBA teams have used the ‘three point field goal’ (a late addition to the rules of the game) at a higher rate, forcing coaches to adjust. Pop, notoriously ‘old-school’ in his approach, said the following regarding the three point shot:

“I hate it. To me, it's not basketball.

But you gotta use it.”

In today’s market where Facebook is yesterday, Twitter is today, and tomorrow is coming quickly, it’s often a matter of adapting quickly – or losing market share to your competitors.

2. Make tough decisions for the benefit of the team. The decisions of an NBA coach are inherently held under a microscope and second guessed. But Popovich has a confidence that is fueled by his 'team-first' mentality.

Example: Pop received criticism two years ago when he didn’t allow four key members of the team to play in a major televised game (hurting TV ratings and subsequent revenue) – so they could rest. That decision cost the Spurs a hefty fine of $250,000 in the end, but they stood by their coach and his decision.

Pop often limits players’ time on the court in order to keep them fresh and to help avoid injury. Some players would question this decision, since it lowers their career statistics and could possibly hurt their ‘legacy’. His response?

“…these guys could all have better stats. I play them for 29 or 30 minutes a game in their careers and their stats suffer because of it, but that sacrifice helps our entire team.”

Great leaders make tough decisions, knowing they’ll receive criticism. But they have the confidence to stand by those decisions in order to achieve their long-term goals.

3. Learn how to deal with multiple cultures and nationalities. The current Spurs roster includes 8 players born outside the United States, including players from Canada, France, Argentina, Italy, Australia, and Brazil. How does Popovich deal with this mix of nationalities, mentalities, and cultures? Scott Cacciola of The New York Times explored this in his recent article:

Popovich has long espoused the virtues of an international roster, not merely because the players have a diverse set of skills but also because having them around enhances his own life. Popovich, who was born to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother, takes great pleasure, he said, in learning about his players’ lives and backgrounds…

“I think it’s just a respect for letting them know you understand they’re from another place,” Popovich said, adding, “We all grew up differently.”

In today’s shrinking world, the most successful leaders are able to communicate effectively with an international team. This involves more than just studying the culture of a specific country or two – it means developing a global mindset.

4. Be resilient. Merriam-Webster defines resilience as: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.

For you non-NBA fans, it might be interesting to know the Spurs organization was moments away from also winning the NBA championship last year. Ahead by 5 points with only 28 seconds left in a potentially series ending game with the Miami Heat, the game seemed all but put away. However, the team normally known for their discipline and attention to detail uncharacteristically fell apart in those last few seconds – losing not only that game but also the following – and thus missed out on what many thought was the last chance for the aging Spurs to win it all.

How would they bounce back?

Popovich made sure the team learned from those mistakes – and used them as motivation. Multiple members of this year’s championship team mentioned last year’s Finals failure as an aid to keeping them focused…They refused to forget that bitter feeling, and the end result was redemption earlier this month: the most lopsided NBA finals victory ever.

If your team suffers a de-motivating setback, remember: Life is full of disappointments! The agony of defeat can be crushing – or it can be used to develop a laser-like focus that inspires performance at the highest level.

When disaster strikes, pick up the pieces, learn from your mistakes, and try again. Above all – refuse to give up.

5. Care about company culture. The class of the league. Ultimate professionals. A culture of excellence. These are expressions outsiders have used to describe ‘The Spurs Way’.

So what is ‘The Spurs Way’? It can be difficult to define, but essentially it is a culture built around a values system – a system which is then inculcated into each and every part of the San Antonio Spurs organization. It works because everyone buys into it – from the role players to the star players, from the assistant coaches to Coach Pop himself.

With Popovich’s leadership and support, the Spurs have created an environment in which trust, respect, hard work, and selflessness are lauded, applauded, and reinforced at every level.

Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. Do an internet search for interviews with Spurs players and coaches, and see how these qualities are consistently reflected – by everyone.

Doesn’t sound like your style? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, the Spurs say.

Fellow NBA organizations know how valuable training under The Spurs Way is; many former Spurs players, coaches, and executives now have positions of responsibility in teams around the league. A quick look at this chart (already 3 years old) shows former Spurs members on 14 NBA teams – but that reach has certainly grown by now.

Remember: Culture starts at the top. Employees often complain about company rules or ‘codes of conduct’, not because they don’t like or agree with them – but because their own leaders refuse to follow them.

When company leaders and key team members set the example, the others will follow. The result?

A culture of excellence.

If you still aren’t convinced, take a look at the figures gathered by writer Kurt Badenhausen, inhis recent article for Forbes Business section:

• Highest winning percentage of any team in major pro sports (U.S.) since 1997 (The team has not won fewer than 60% of its games in any season)
• The trio of Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker under the guidance of coach Gregg Popovich has won more playoff games than any trio of players in NBA history
• Posted operating profits of a record $39 million last season despite playing in the NBA’s fourth smallest market.
• Ratings for Spurs games on Fox Sports Southwest were up 15% this year and ranked second in the NBA

The Spurs have truly set a standard for business success – and they have Coach Pop to thank for a large part of it.

Want to build a ‘culture of excellence’ in your organization?

Maybe it’s time forThe Spurs Way. But remember one thing:

It’s not as easy as it looks.

***

Justin Bariso is a business consultant and author who is working on his first book (topic soon revealed). He enjoys finding business lessons in various places – like while watching great basketball games. Follow him here by clicking the yellow FOLLOW button or on Twitter@JustinJBariso.

Value Creation Is the Main Thing

JUNE 20, 2014 BY S. ANTHONY IANNARINO 

Covey said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” It was clever, funny, and true. intentions and outcomes matter most.

The main thing when you are engaged with a client, dream client, or prospect is tocreate value during every interaction. The more value you create, the more valuable you are to your client. The greater the perception of value, the greater the likelihood you gain a commitment that moves you forward together.

If your main thing is the commitment instead of the value creation, your intention willbetray you and the result you want will elude you. If your main thing is to book the revenue so you can receive your commission check, then creating value will be a secondary outcome at best.

The thing about making value creation the intention and outcome is that it covers every interaction. You make gaining an appointment more likely when you create value during your nurturing and prospecting efforts. You make the needs analysis meetings more valuable when you focus on creating value, much of the time by helping your client understand their real needs. You can create value during the presentation stage by sharing and confirming the vision you built together with your client.

But there are other ways you can create value, if you are perceptive, aware, and agile. You might create value by answering questions. Or maybe you can create value by helping build consensus. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, That main things is to create value at every interaction.

7 Must-Know Tips for Managing Your Millennial Sales Team

BY Marc Wayshak | April 22, 2014   

                               

Organizations used to be able to cook up a successful sales team with a few basic ingredients: a quality product, a compelling compensation plan, a simple training program and effective sales tracking. Not so anymore. Millennials have changed the recipe.

Millennials are the youngest generation in today's workforce. They also differ vastly from those in the generations before them -- and that's especially true when it comes to sales. Millennial salespeople are confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. They came of age immersed in technology and instant communication. Their expectations, for work and personal life, are sky-high.
It should come as no surprise then that this unique generation has tremendous potential for great results in sales -- but millennials require a new style of management to foster that success.
Here are seven essential tips for effectively managing millennial salespeople:
Related: How Retailers Can Recruit and Retain Millennials (Infographic)

1. Figure out what really drives them. Millennials are idealists, often focusing more on social impact or personal fulfillment than how much money they make. They also tend to live at home with their parents longer than those of previous generations and put off marriage and child-rearing. As a result, some millennials are less driven by the need for financial stability than  the quest for work-life balance or community contribution. Figure out what really drives your millennial staffers so that you can motivate them effectively.

2. Help them see the clients' perspective. Because millennial salespeople sometimes sell to older clients, they'll need to understand and connect with them. Teach your millennial sales team that 55-year-old prospects won't have the same outlooks or aspirations as 27-year-olds. The baby boomer client might be highly motivated by financial security, say, while a millennial one could be driven by convenience and flexibility. If millennial salespeople fail to understand the perspectives of those from other generations, they will struggle to maintain relationships with some clients and close sales with many prospects.

Related: When Your Employees Are Millennials and Your Customers Are Boomers
3. Train, train, train -- and then train some more. Millennials might be overeducated for their entry-level jobs, but you should still provide them with extensive training. Baby boomer parents have instilled millennials with an appreciation for continued education. By offering comprehensive training to new hires, you'll draw top young talent to your organization. Plus, millennials are typically enthusiastic learners who will implement the strategies and techniques they are taught. The more training you provide, the more effective they will be.

4. Focus on what they do -- not when. The idea of a 9-to-5 workday is not just foreign to most millennials; it’s abhorrent. If left to their own devices, these young salespeople might head off to the gym at noon, but that doesn't mean they're not hardworking. They'll likely to stay late at work to finish what they have to do.

Many organizations struggle to manage their millennial salespeople by requiring that they work certain hours. This is unnecessary and harmful to productivity. Millennials are famous for demanding work-life balance. If they sense that their employer lacks an appreciation for work-life equilibrium, their morale may plummet and they might consider other job options.
So instead of setting a rigid work schedule, give your millennial sales team specific daily or weekly sales-activity goals: a certain number of calls, meetings to arrange or events to attend. Then let them work according to the schedule that enables them to be the most productive.

5. Give them lots of feedback. There's a reason why millennials are called Trophy Kids! This generation wants glowing recognition -- and lots of it. Remember that this generation grew up receiving awards and trophies for nearly every endeavor, whether it's taking last place at a Little League tournament or fifth place at a science fair. Capitalize upon this by giving lots of feedback. Knowing that their manager thinks they're doing a great job can be a terrific motivator. Millennials aim high when it comes to work achievement and are exceptionally open to constructive criticism if it will translate to more success, faster.

Related: 6 Keys to Developing Millennials Into Managers
6. Set their expectations for success. Millennials grew up with instant gratification -- fast food, instant messaging and 24-hour news cycle. As a result, this generation looks for fast results and is likely to get bored quickly. In the workplace this translates into what's known as job-hopping: Millennials might stay at each job for only a few months to a year, leaving for greener pastures if their expectations aren't met in a timely manner. Instead of viewing this negatively, consider that this mind-set can be an asset to your business. Millennial salespeople start every new job with enthusiasm and high hopes. If you can help shape their expectations for the job, you can more consistently retain millennial talent. Set realistic expectations early on for millennial salespeople, and you will lessen the likelihood that they'll leave in the near future.

7. Ask for their help. One of the best qualities of members of the millennial generation is that they are collaborative, team-oriented workers. This means they're likely to want to help others in the workplace. Once they have shown superior skills in particular areas, invite them to train others. Millennials will likely be strong with technologies such as your customer relationship management system. Let them help veteran salespeople master a technology if they struggle with it.