#36: Where are the men?
Work bit 1: Men now make up only 42 percent of college students. According to the Department of Education, men are less likely to get bachelor's degrees. They also get worse grades.Work bit 2: One reason why young men take education less seriously appears to be money. Early in a career, college increases women's earnings far more than men's. And young men can sell their strength and make money.Work bit 3: Jobs that require little education are disappearing. This spells trouble for young men who plan to rely more on brawn than on brains.Work bit 4: In dozens of interviews, male and female students agreed that the slackers were mostly male, and that the fireballs were mostly female. However, many young men believe that they will prevail, once at work. But for how much longer will history repeat?
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#35: "I don't know"
I want to share with you the three most important words I have learned as a consultant. They are “I don’t know.”
Yes, I know that consultants are not normally paid for not knowing. Nor are leaders. But leaders and consultants can be at their most effective when they admit to not knowing.
When a leader makes a statement, outlines a plan or offers a solution, followers stop thinking. On the other hand, when someone who is supposed to know admits to not knowing, it creates a space for others to step forward with new ideas and different perspectives.
It is a wise leader who, even when knowing, occasionally says, “I don’t know”. Try it, you might even learn something from your followers. I have learned from my clients and got paid for it.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#34: Working older workers
Work bit 1: Older workers want to retire later; companies fear they will soon be short of skills. Could there be an obvious solution here?
Work bit 2: Deere & Company is an industrial-equipment manufacturer. And yet, about 35% of its employees are over 50 and a number are over 70. Deere uses ergonomics to make jobs less tiring, enabling older workers to work longer. Toyota has been doing the same. Work bit 3: Employers in Vegas love older employees. As a casino VP explains: “Older employees have wisdom, temperance and patience. They've seen it all, and they're working because they really want to. So they are great service providers.”Work bit 4: Nevada has the fastest-growing elderly population of any state. The number of Americans over 65 rose by 17% between 1990 and 2004. In Nevada it rose by 100%
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#33: Informed sources are trashing your organization
I remember sitting on a hard school bench when a little voice would whisper something and the teacher would growl, "Who said that?" For 12 long years I waited for some kid to say, "An informed source, Sir." But it never happened.
As a grown-up I read everyday what "informed sources" have to say and I’m expected to believe in their existence. It seems to me that back then kids had more sense.
Not anymore. Youngsters today are learning that it is socially acceptable to hide your real identity when prancing around the internet. In fact, hiding is desirable, because then you can attack without having to defend. And if you have a website, a blog or a podcast aimed at destroying your employer’s reputation, you might even be quoted as an informed source.
But I, for one, won’t easily believe you.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#32: The 99c price point
Work bit 1: We know that a price of 99c is actually $1.00. Yet, we happily fool ourselves that 14.99 is a better price than $15.
Work bit 2: If the U.S. Mint had its way, that 99c price point will be history. Today, a penny costs more than 1 cent to make and the Mint is no longer making money selling pennies to banks.Work bit 3: In 1989, a bill in Congress proposed that all purchases be rounded off to the nearest nickel. Retailers were relieved when the bill was dropped.Work bit 4: Not only retailers want the cents. A Gallup poll has shown that two-thirds of Americans want to keep the penny. There is even a pro-penny lobby called Americans for Common Cents. Yet, it makes no sense for a cent to cost more than a cent.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#31: When capable employees leave
Let’s explore one of those vicious cycles so often found in organizations.
To function at an acceptable level, inept individuals require rules and regulations. But capable individuals tend to feel stifled in an environment where they are constantly told what to do and how to do it. And so they leave.
As the balance in the work force swings to more inept workers and fewer capable ones, mistakes and inefficiencies increase. This serves to confirm management’s suspicion that workers are either incompetent or subversive. Managers now respond by tightening their hold over the workers, forcing the last of the capable ones to run for the exits.
Now for the kicker: Because incompetent workers are less likely to confront managers, managers end up believing that those who stay prefer a highly regimented environment.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#30: Baby-Boomers will create problems
Work bit 1: Aging Baby-Boomers will create problems for America, because someone must pay for their extra health care and related costs. This could be eased if more old people carried on working.Work bit 2: Older Americans are working longer. In 1985, only 18% of 65-69 year olds were still working; last year 28% were. About half of the baby-boomers say they plan to work past 65.Work bit 3: A study by McKinsey and Co found that 40% of current retirees were forced to quit before they wanted to, either because of ill health or because they lost their jobs.Work bit 4: Older workers are often laid off because their employers cannot afford to keep them. A big factor is that they have had annual pay-rises for decades. Time to say ‘no’ to your next increase?
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#29: Mutual exploitation at work
The most visible exploitation in any organization is the exploitation of workers. A less visible, but equally destructive, exploitation is that practiced by workers.
I am not referring to stealing, whether in the form of unnecessary sick-leave, private calls, internet shopping, or taking home office supplies. I’m talking about those workers who stick to the letter, and ignore the spirit, of the contract between workers and management.
Strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with doing exactly what the boss demands (a practice known as malicious compliance). Nor is there anything wrong with not reporting something important; nor with knowingly allowing something to go wrong; nor with swamping a boss, who wants to know everything, with details, documents and reports.
Obviously, there is nothing right about it, either, and it leaves me wondering who is really being exploited.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
#28: Permanent job insecurity
Work bit 1: Unemployment is down, with more 143 million Americans working. Yet, one-third of workers are worried about layoffs. It seems that job insecurity is now a permanent part of the economy.Work bit 2: Consumer debt has jumped more than 40% since the end of the recession officially ended in November 2001. Wages have not kept up with inflation and the average worker now takes home less than in 2002. Which means that workers simply can't afford to lose their jobs.Work bit 3: This unease about jobs means that workers feel under pressure to prove their worth by working longer hours and not taking vacations.Work bit 4: The good news is that some employers are now insisting that employees take time off to recharge. But August is over, so get back to work.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
posted by James Henry McIntosh at
