Randy Hinders, IT Director, Mile Two

What was your first job?

Afternoon paper delivery route. This was great at teaching responsibilities and accountabilities. It’s a shame that these types of opportunities for teens are not as easily available today.

What’s the best career advice you ever received?

My dad told me as I joined the Army. Volunteer for everything. Sometimes you will get a crap job, and I did, and sometimes you will get an awesome assignment. Which I have. I raise my hand for those technical challenges that will push my understanding of a topic or business process so that I learn and grow. Sometimes they stink and might not be successful, other times they are wonderful experiences making lifelong friends in other areas of business that I would not have seen had I just stayed in my cube.

What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders?

First, remember that it is about your team and not you. If your team is successful, only then will you be successful. Second, know and be yourself. Do not try to be someone you aren’t but do bring on people who can and will fill in your shortcomings.

Aaron Davis, Recless Tech

Your professional network holds the key to solve a work problem, sign a customer, or get that new job. A referral from a known person comes with more trust. It is engaged more quickly and creates a bias for the connection to be a success.

I can no longer count how many times I’ve coached a technical professional through how to network with their contacts. Unfortunately, it’s often when someone is referred to me in an urgent job hunt situation - a contract ending, an unexpected termination, or work suddenly becomes unbearable. I always wish we had talked months prior.

The best time to network is before it's needed!

Make a List

People get lost, and it’s hard to keep up with everyone that’s valuable to you. If your LinkedIn is too vast and messy (like mine), document who you want to keep up. Do they have a good reputation? Do you trust them? Do they respect you? Add them to your list. Salespeople and recruiters use CRM systems but staying in touch is valuable to all of us. There’s nothing wrong with having a list of valued connections and dating your last interaction with them so you don’t lose touch.

Find Ways to Give

The hardest part of any give-and-take relationship is finding ways to give. If you want your network to be ready to help when you need them, invest early. The people you need to stay connected with are not always the ones right in front of you. Old colleagues may not come to you first to solve a problem. You have to go out of your way to stay in touch.

Everyone knows the value of connecting with influencers and decision makers. But people you can help are even more important. They will remember you, and many of them will be in positions to help you in the future. Giving generously is the master key to networking.

Connect through Curiosity

People won’t always remember the details of your last conversation with them. They will remember how they felt! Being heard is an important part of feeling good in any relationship but can be with a more introverted personality. Stay curious. Asking big questions like “How’s work?” or “How’s your family?” might be enough to get conversations going with some. Others are more to the point. You may have to probe to stay connected. It’s your network, so do the work of learning what’s important to them, and how you can help.

Ask Directly for Help

When the time comes, and it always does, be prepared to ask for help. People like to help their friends and colleagues. It’s satisfying to know you’re valuable. It scratches a life-purpose itch to improve someone else’s situation. And when you state it in a way that is clearly an ask for assistance, it gives your connection a chance to feel like your hero.

Leave some room to decide exactly how they can help. If you communicate your goal, tell them what you’ve done to get there, and ask them how they can help, most people will want to come to your aid.

I prefer:

“I’d like to communicate directly with PersonA about XYZ. I don’t trust the portal. But I need help getting in touch with them. How could you help me?”

Over:

“Would you introduce me to PersonA with an email?”

Adding a bit of problem solving to the ask can offer a feeling of appreciation for the idea on top of the connection.

Aaron Davis is the founder and CEO of Recless Tech, an external referral platform that uses peer-to-peer sourcing to fill tough technology positions. He has previously served as the COO for a software services firm, the Talent Acquisition Director for a large health plan, and an Account Executive for a large tech staffing firm. Aaron is a Senior Professional of Human Resources, a Certified Scrum Master and holds an MBA from Wright State University.

Aarondavis@reclesstech.com 

937.672.4598

Mardi Humphreys, Change Agent, Integration Edge

Last week we discussed how to retain your current employees during the Talent Tsunami. But despite your best efforts, it’s likely that some of them will still jump ship (cue Debbie Downer). From a financial perspective, hiring a new employee is an expensive process. You not only have to calculate salary, but also the cost of recruiting, training, and benefits. If you are a company of 0-500 people, this price could average $7645. How can you ensure you’re attracting trustworthy talent?

Congruity Through Change

It’s tempting to just increase the top of the salary range or offer a sign-on bonus and publish the “We’re Hiring!” post. But throwing money at the problem is not a long-term solution. The pandemic proved the workplace can function very differently than it’s been allowed to since the industrial age. This excited employees, but management not so much. COVID-19 fast-tracked the inevitable evolution of the way knowledge work gets done. Protocol that made factories run efficiently (e.g., all employees work five consecutive eight-hour days) are no longer in employees nor companies best interests here at the end of the digital revolution. If you make this an arbitrary rule, you risk losing out on valuable talent. Conversely, if you explore innovative alternatives for running your business, then you keep your company’s vision intact by taking advantage of modern methods to manifest it. For example: How many processes can you automate? Can you employ subcontractors? Can you upskill high-value individual contributors? Concepts like remote working and unlimited PTO that your company deemed impractical before COVID-19 are now your competitors’ widely advertised company perks. Ponder how implementing such changes may impact your business. A company that helps its workforce navigate work-life integration attracts employees who want to make that company thrive. Be a company that allows employees autonomy to get their projects done, advance in their career and life, and affiliate with both their coworkers and company. Prioritize being a great place to work; a place where employees are valued as human beings. When you do, that becomes part of your brand. In short order, you have an inspiring story to tell everyone and you will attract a workforce excited to invest in the company’s success.

Not Your First Rodeo

You’ve been short-handed before, so now is not the time to panic. Employment is a long-term prospect. You need to discern whether a new hire will be a loyal member of your team or if they are just riding a Talent Tsunami wave. Be as selective in choosing whom to add to your staff now as you were pre-pandemic. When hiring, consider: 

• Why are they changing jobs?
• Did COVID-19 cause them to be laid off or furloughed?
• What did they learn during the pandemic that will help them succeed in this role?
• Are they looking for more purpose in their work?
• What specifically drew them to your company?
• Did someone you trust from your network connect you to this talent prospect?
• Do they seem excited to meet with you?
• Did they tailor their resume to the open position?
• Did they ask you good questions about both the company and the job?

This power shift to job seekers won’t last forever. You’ll likely have the same pre-pandemic issues (e.g., finding employees with specific skills) you always had, but if you refresh your policies to create more win-win working conditions, you’ll attract quality talent.

What makes your organization attractive to talent?

Mardi Humphreys, Change Agent, Integration Edge

You kept your business solvent during the pandemic. Now vaccines are available and buildings are reopening. Both you and your workforce are deciding where to go from here. Pivots like switching the product you manufacture (e.g., making hand sanitizer instead of bourbon) or shifting your employees to working from home has not only burned everyone out, but also revealed work-life integration paradigm shifts. You need to both retain your current workforce and attract new employees, but how? This week, let’s focus on keeping the folks you have.

Pivot Again

You regularly adapt your business to market conditions. This shift in the balance of power is a condition more abrupt than most, but it offers you a gift. It forces you to look at your mission, vision, values, policies, and procedures and sift them through the filter of The Platinum Rule. For example, employees hear the siren call of flexibility and autonomy in their jobs. Are your company’s paid time off policies amenable to employees with caregiving duties to young children, aging parents, chronically ill partners, etc.? If not, then it behooves you to reevaluate those policies. If your employees are being washed away by the Talent Tsunami, then you need to take a long, hard look at your company’s culture, protocols, and development paths. If your workforce was happy before the pandemic, then they would not be so tempted to leave now. You will be wise to shift your mindset to focus more on taking care of your employees and repeatedly communicating that commitment. People want to work in an environment where they feel valued. If your company has a vision the workforce can believe in, you coach them to share it, and demonstrate how their jobs are integral to realizing it, then employees get invested in meeting the company’s goals and want to stick around.

Engagement Brings Retention

The inconvenient truth is it’s cheaper to keep an employee than to hire a new one. If you don’t know what your employees need to achieve work-life integration, or to feel appreciated, now is the time to ask and actively listen to their answers. Individual contributors who feel they belong and have purpose are less likely to burn out. How do you know if your employees are burned out? Ask them. Company-wide email surveys are easy to create, send, and compile results. You can ask questions like: How do you think the company handled pivoting during COVID-19? How many days a week do you want to WFH? If the company reimburses you for upskilling, will you agree to work for us for a year? The answers will give you data that will not only help you to assess the risk of employees leaving, but also reveal what you can do to keep the good ones.

“Bye” the Way

Unless employees signed a contract saying they’d do one, they are not obligated to give exit interviews. A smart employee will not grant one if they don’t have anything nice to say. An exit interview is more of a benefit to you than to them. It’s an exiting employee’s gift of feedback to you. If the resigning employee grants one, stick to questions that will help you retain other employees. For example: What could the company have done to make it easier for your team to communicate with each other?

What are you doing to encourage your employees to join you in making your business succeed?

Project Management Institute - Dayton Miami Valley Ohio >> Submit Your Proposal!

Our goal is to curate outstanding content for our 2021 Virtual Summit. We are seeking engaging speakers for our 1-day Conference on October 29, 2021. If you are willing to share your expertise with our PM community, complete the speaker form below. The email address you provide in the form will be the main method of contact throughout this process.

With the focus on our theme "Change can be Scary", our ideal speaker is:

• Experienced, engaging, and comfortable speaking in front of groups.
• Passionate about sharing expertise on topics such as leadership, program/project management, business strategy, work-life balance, and change management.
• Willing to partner with PMI’s Southwest Ohio and Dayton/Miami Valley Chapters to provide the best possible experience for our attendees.
• Speakers should tell the story based on experience and be candid about outcomes, lessons learned, and techniques. Please “Think TED talk not Lecture Hall.”

Please submit your information via the speaker form today!

Mardi Humphreys, Change Agent, Integration Edge

The pandemic made us take a hard look at our priorities. What is now most important to you? In terms of your job, if you were able to pivot (e.g., a restaurant moving from fine-dining in person to at home delivery) or to transition to WFH (e.g., software developing), you’re grateful to have found a way to continue making a living. But now that we’ve moved into COVID-19’s phase of vaccines and variants, do you want to keep this up?

What Do You Want?

It’s time to decide what aspects of the working-under-quarantine conditions you want to maintain. Has the way you had to work made you want a different job, maybe even a different career path? If so, you have loads of company. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 3.6 million Americans quit their jobs in May 2021. But before you start searching for a new situation, get clear on why you want to leave your current one. If you’re running away from this job instead of running to another one, your discontent is likely to follow you. Ask yourself:

• Am I burned out?
• Did the pandemic reveal a side of my company’s culture that I can’t support?
• Were my manager’s expectations unreasonable?
• Did I discover a remote position would be best for work-life integration? 

During the work day, when you feel frustrated or stressed, write down what you’re working on or what’s happening. Is it a project, person, and/or PTO? The answers will help you define your non-starters when considering your next role. 

Defining what you don’t want narrows your choices down to what you do want. Compensation (salary, PTO, insurance, retirement benefits), location, culture, and leadership development are all obvious details you need to consider. But also ask yourself:

• What does your perfect job look like?
• Where are you doing it?
• When are you doing it?
• Who are you doing it with?
• Why are you doing it?
• How are you doing it? 

What values do the answers to these questions reveal (e.g., freedom, culture, growth)? Rank them in order of importance. For one work week, notice what you are doing when you lose track of time as well as what you are doing when time seems to drag. Write these down and analyze them. While looking for a new position, search for one that allows you to do more of the work you enjoy.

How Do You Get It?

Once you figure out what you want, make a list of companies whose mission, vision, and values match yours. LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Business Journals regularly identify great companies to work for. Target people in these companies you can reach out to for informational interviews. Notify your network that you are looking for a new role. Ask them not only for introductions to hiring managers you want to meet, but also ask how you can help connect them to the decision makers they want to meet. It’s tempting to apply for every job that looks like fun, thinking that eventually one will take, but that’s actually a time waster. It’s more effective to invest your time building relationships with your network. Insiders know a position is available before it gets publicly posted. A good rule of thumb is to network with five people for every one job application you submit.

Are you thinking about a new position? What are you looking for in a company? 

Mardi Humphreys, Change Agent, Integration Edge

The number of posts from my LinkedIn connections announcing their new positions increases every day. Have you noticed it too? The Talent Tsunami is soaking us. Is it tempting you to find a new gig? Even now a job search can still be long, arduous, and uncertain. How can you tell when it’s time to move on?

In my role as a Change Agent, I ask questions so my clients can visualize both where they are and where they want to be. Next week, we’ll discuss how to figure out where you want to be. But first, here are questions to help you determine whether or not your current employment situation is still worth your T.E.A.M.

Your Body

Stress can physically manifest itself. Do you have headaches, nausea, and/or heart palpitations when you’re getting ready for work, at work, or just thinking about work? If so, your subconscious is trying to get your attention.

Your Mind

If your talents aren’t being tapped, you’ll get frustrated and, eventually, resentful.

• Do your skills match the work you’re doing?
• Are you unhappy the majority of the time you’re working?
• Are you spending more time on social media than your work?
• Are you watching the clock hoping time will speed up so you can leave?
• Do you experience Sunday Scaries? 
• Are you looking at job postings and daydreaming about them?
• Are you no longer proud of the work you’re doing?
• Are you lowering your standards?
• Do you hear yourself say, “It’s just a job?"
• Have you lost your passion for the work?
• Do you see your work as challenges or problems?
• Careless mistakes (e.g., frequent typos, forgetting scheduled meetings) happen, but too many too often indicates that you’re disengaged from the work. Are you making too many glaring errors?

Your Environment

You can try to influence your environment, but the only actions you can control are your own.

• Is the environment toxic?
• Is the culture (e.g., you want to WFH and the company insists you spend the entire week at the office) not a good fit for you?
• Is the company restructuring?
• Are there rumors of outsourcing your department or selling the company?
• Are you chronically understaffed?

Your Development

• Has the novelty of being the SME worn off?
• Are you tired of being the trainer and never the one learning something new?
• Does your employer provide company time and money for upskilling?
• Is advancement possible?
• In order for you to move up, does someone have to leave?
• Can you have a transparent conversation with your manager to find out if what you’re looking for can be attained within the company?
• Have you taken on more responsibility and the effort has yet to be acknowledged?
• Have you asked for a promotion at multiple performance reviews and even after completing the tasks your manager told you would result in advancement, they tell you that you’re still not qualified yet?
• Are you no longer getting highly visible assignments?

Your Relationships

• How do you get along with your manager?
• Does your manager habitually give you instructions and refuse to hear your insight?
• Does your manager refuse to negotiate benefits or discuss salary?
• Are conversations with friends and family dominated by complaints about your job?

When you evaluate whether or not your current employment is worth your T.E.A.M., what criteria do you use?

Graduate Certificates: Big and Smart Data and Cyber Security Analytics

Big and Smart Data Graduate Certificate

Why Choose Big and Smart Data Sciences?

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a program of graduate study leading to the Education Certificate in Big and Smart Data Sciences. This unique certificate will equip business professionals with the technical foundation needed to manage and analyze Big Data and to create Smart Data-enabled applications for enterprises and individuals.

There is an unprecedented growth in data collected by all types of organizations for scientific, medical, financial, and other purposes. This comes as a result of activities in our interconnected world including social activities on the web. It is produced using sensors and other high throughput devices on or around individuals and around the globe. This has given rise to Big Data, characterized by five Vs (volume, velocity, variety, veracity, and value). Big and Smart Data Sciences is about the intelligent processing of Big Data for improved insights and decision-making for enterprises and individuals. It is also about creative approaches, methodologies, and techniques that span data acquisition to analysis and applications.

More info here

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Why Choose Cybersecurity Analytics?

The Certificate in Cybersecurity Analytics contains the four core courses of our Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree. We offer a flexible learning environment with both online and in class courses. You can use this certificate to enhance your current skills or start on the journey to a master’s degree in cybersecurity. We will provide you with the technical foundation needed to understand the major risks associated with cyberspace, and how to begin mitigating those risks.

Complete this certificate online or on campus.

More info here

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The Computer Programming and Database Management – Computer Software Development Major (CSD) is an online degree focuses on the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of software used in a variety of industries. Students gain knowledge of computer operating systems and software development using several programming languages.

Graduates earn an Associate of Applied Science degree and are prepared to enter the workforce as skilled computer programmers and systems integrators. Graduates may continue their education in a bachelor’s degree program in computer science, information systems, business informatics, or business administration.

The Computer Software Development Major is primarily offered as an online degree for students who seek that instructional method. Some of the required courses can be taken through in-person classes.

Curious about software engineering? Learn more about Computer Programming and Database Management - Software Engineering Technology Major (SET) right here.