Passion For Hire

You Got Skooled

2010-07-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

ed•u•ca•tion
Pronunciation: \ˌe-jə-ˈkā-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 1531
1 a : the action or process of educating or of being educated; also : a stage of such a process b : the knowledge and development resulting from an educational process
2 : the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools
— ed•u•ca•tion•al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
— ed•u•ca•tion•al•ly \-ē\ adverb

My role in this world, as of right now, is to educate students in schools of higher education. What I find most interesting is how students perceive their resources. In the mind of a college freshman the instructor is untouchable – a celebrity of sorts. As a sophomore, the student finds the instructor fascinating and will spend the majority of the semester almost getting to know her. Finally, as a college junior and senior, the student finds that a close mentor/mentee relationship with an instructor is inevitable and quite rewarding. A few months after graduation a student might say something to the effect of, “I wish I would have gotten to know all my instructors better.”

This brings me to one very critical lesson from Armand Hammer: “Regrets and recriminations only hurt your soul.”

You are responsible for your life. Whether it’s your freshman year in high school, senior year in college or your fifteenth year working your trade, you are responsible for reaching out and learning from those around you. We are inundated with reasons why we shouldn’t have close personal relationships with those around us. We are constantly told we will be deceived, back-stabbed or someone will ruin our reputation just to further his own. I am here to tell you, you’ve been lied to. People need each other. There are countless resources right at our fingertips if we just let ourselves forget the “what if’s” and believe the “what are’s.”

Education is a process, just as life is a process. We go through different states as a person and different times in our lives will significantly impact who we are, what we do and what will happen next. The most ignorant thing we can do is stop changing and stop becoming educated. Education isn’t about a piece of paper, test scores or even a black robe you’ll only wear once. Education is about becoming someone and something. Teaching yourself to take chances and growing as a student or employee is a way of educating yourself and preparing yourself for your next season of change.

Persistence Pays

2010-07-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

For someone who has a rough time keeping up with two blogs, it might come as no surprise that tonight I am reminded of persistence. It's a valuable lesson not only for the work place, but also a key observation in so many of life's little lessons. Persistence gets noticed. Resistance gets ignored.

I was watching a stand-up comedy routine the other night and the comedian imparted a piece of wisdom shared by his grandfather. His grandfather stated, "If you really want a job just walk in and start working. They're bound to notice you sooner or later!" A hearty laugh echoed in my apartment and was followed by a moment of reflection. In its literal sense this might be the worst idea ever. However, there is a very valuable lesson to be learned from this slightly odd gibe and it parallels the idea of persistence.

So many of my friends, myself included, complain about entry-level jobs or positions that seem to have limited upper mobility. Yet, I wonder how many of us take into consideration what it would be like if we were more persistent? What might happen if we asked for more projects, spent time recognizing and understanding our superiors leadership styles and (heaven forbid!) actually volunteered to assist on committees or other office affairs.

Sadly, we live in a mono-chronemic culture that views time as linear. We say things like, "I only have 10 minutes," or "I just wasted an hour." Taking on more tasks doesn't mean less time to get work done and resistance to this idea bodes ignorance in the eyes of your supervisors. Taking on additional tasks inevitably lightens the load for your co-workers resulting in increased productivity. If we persist in changing the way we view our role in the organization, someone is bound to notice.

Don't get caught up in the semantics of "entry-level" or feel stuck in the position you currently hold. Instead, view yourself as a productive member of the team; someone who can contribute her individual creativity and talents. I think we would all be surprised where a little hard work and persistence can get us.

Communication is Good for Your Health

2010-06-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

There is one important phrase I repeat to my students throughout the course of the semester that I believe everyone should incorporate into their lexicon of great phrases, "We all need relationships, we all need to communicate." The link between communication and physical well-being is undeniable. Divorced men younger than 50 are nearly 10x as likely to suffer a heart-attack and a lack of close personal relationships for women can result in poor cardiovascular health as well.

They key word here is "need." Communication is the only way we learn who we are. If your superior tells you you're a great employee - that becomes who you are. Similarly, if you're being told your work needs improvement or you're not meeting your goals, you may feel you've become a sub-standard employee. Whatever the case may be we all have an innate drive to meet social needs through communication. We call this the "human career." Through communication we are able to satisfy needs such as: Pleasure, Affection, Companionship, Escape, Relaxation and Control.

As the lines between work life and family life become more and more blurred, there is a drive to satisfy some (if not all) of these social needs at work. A caveat: I once met a woman who was surprised to find that many of her friends were also her co-workers. It was as if there was some unwritten rule that stated she couldn't befriend someone in her office. However, these relationships are inevitable. Young men and women are spending just as much (if not more) time in the office than they do at their homes. We are attempting to meet these needs in the workplace!

And this is where I interject the old phrase, "There is a time and place for everything." I'm not talking about meeting your escape needs through gossip or control needs through manipulation. What this refers to are the needs of employees and employers to be mentors and mentees; subordinates seeking the approval of supervisors, and finding companionship through healthy teamwork and goal setting. Our identities as employees and co-workers depend on the nature of our interaction with others. After all, the only way we learn who we are is through communication.

What does your communication say about you?

Credentials

2010-05-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

As an instructor for a mid-sized, Midwestern university, (that's research-speak for "we don't get paid enough to publish these results") I am often bombarded with questions from students asking how the material they learn in the college classroom will affect their lives after college. It's my belief that college students should be required to take classes ranging from finance to art appreciation.

Teaching classes in Communication could not be a more pleasing opportunity. I am able to help students understand and draw clear connections between academics and the "real world." My intent with this blog is to take what students in the new millennium are learning about personal relationships and blend it with the constantly changing and evolving workforce; helping new students understand and adapt to a different generation of workers.

The term students does not imply an age range of 18-24. Instead, it encompasses every learner that enters my classroom; ranging in age from 18-65. If a person wants to know what learning looks like in the 21st Century, all she has to do is step inside my classroom. You will see the fresh high school graduate studying next to a single mother of three hoping to turn things around and find a career to provide for the family. You'll see students from the "wrong side of the tracks" teaming up with grandmothers and grandfathers to come up with fresh perspectives on how to solve family communication crises. And you will see a 20-something, struggling female who is optimistic about the future of these students leading the way.

Each week comes something different. Follow along and watch yourself grow. We've all got passion for hire.