Your Aging Workforce Is Your Competitive Advantage

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Competitive Advantage, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

Would it surprise you to learn that the fastest growing segment of today’s workforce is not Millenials or Gen Z—it’s Boomers? According to Gallup, that demographic is growing at 10,000 per day. Is 70 the new 60? People are living productive lives in conditions that would have curtailed their productivity and lifestyles decades ago. You are letting your most experienced employees leave, or worse, getting hired by your competition. Why not encourage them to stay, even in a part-time capacity, instead of ushering them out the door. If they are still mentally and physically capable of doing the job, have them mentor or train your new hires who may need to gain experience or know-how. Your aging workforce is your competitive advantage.

‘Intellectual capital is the sum of everything everybody in a company knows, giving it a competitive edge. Tap into the experience of an older generation.’ – Stewart.

Everything we choose to do alters our brains, fundamentally changing who we are, a process that continues until we die. Malcolm Knowles, an influential contemporary figure in adult education, believes that adults can learn new things given the correct set of circumstances and in an environment that they think is conducive to learning.

Knowles recommends applying these five adult learning principles to create a learning environment.

  1. Adults learn when they understand why something is important to know or do. Make sure everyone understands the ‘why’ in what you are trying to teach them.
  2. Adults can learn when they are free to learn in their own way. Incorporate all of the senses in your approach to ensure learning has occurred. Visual, auditory, or kinesthetic, everyone has a preferred learning style.
  3. Adults like to link new knowledge to past experiences. Any activity that gets them involved makes the learning experiential.
  4. Adults learn when the time is right for them to learn. Adults only want to understand what they need to know and when they need to know it.
  5. Adults will learn if the process and environment are positive and encouraging. Be their biggest fan. Praise their performance and give them your sincere encouragement.

‘Experience is never limited, and it’s never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of spider-web suspended in the chamber of our consciousness and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue.’ – Henry James.

We must overcome the myth that older workers can’t innovate. They can form new networks in their brains whenever they pursue new interests and activities. Cognitive learning theorizes that we can boost our brain’s cognitive performance. Your aging workforce is your competitive advantage.

We aren’t born knowing how to teach others what they need to know, but our leadership development programs will train you how. Contact Brian for details.

Copyright 2024. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. This article was written without AI assistance. Are you searching for a training provider for you or your management team. To learn more about Brian and what we can do for you and your organization, visit our website, https;//briansmithpld.com

Start Embracing Your Unique Talents

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

Have you ever wondered why you do what you do and why you do it the way you do it? And why you might not fit into everyone else’s puzzle? We become who we are at a very young age. We get accustomed to acting, communicating, and interacting with others in a certain way that eventually becomes us. A person’s personality remains relatively stable throughout their lifetime. You are who you are—start embracing your unique talents.

Worth Remembering – ‘Talent is a gift, but it takes courage to use it. Don’t be afraid to do what you do best.’ – Paulo Coelho.

Have you ever scored a behavioural assessment tool to help identify your preferred behavioural style – your preferred way of behaving. To help determine your ideal career. These tools are designed to assess a person’s personality – how they like to communicate, interact with others, manage others and like to be managed. Some popular tools are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, True Color Personality Test and Clifton Strengths to name a few. I use an assessment tool based on Dr. William Marston’s DISC theory. Marston believed we are born with one of four distinct styles of behaviour.

Based on Marston’s theory

D – Dominant styles feel most comfortable is positions of authority. They seem best suited as entrepreneurs, lawyers, police officers, or any position where they are in charge.

I – Interpersonal styles prefer occupations that encompass teamwork and collaboration. They seem best suited for public relations, sales, marketing, or any position that involves working with others.

S – Steadiness styles have a way of making others feel comfortable and at ease. They seem best suited as nurses, counsellors, therapists, or any position that involves helping others.

C – Conscientious styles are true perfectionists. Their analytical skills make them outstanding planners and problem solvers. They seem best sutied as engineers, system administrators, or any position requiring standards and accuracy.

Worth Remembering – ‘Whatever the circumstances of your life, the understanding of your personality can make your preceptions clearer, your judgements sounder, and your life closer to your heart’s desire.’ – Isabel Briggs Myers.

Put your strengths to work for you. Scoring a DISC Behavioural Assessment and determining where your strengths lie and what career path may best suit you is a great way to start. Visit my website, download a Free DISC E-Book, and start embracing your unique talents. – https://briansmithpld.com/free-download/

This article was written by me – Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics without the aid of AI. To learn more about me and what I can do for you and your management team to communicate and interact with others more effectively regardless of gender or generation, you can contact me directly at – brian@briansmithpld.com

But We’ve Always Done It This Way Isn’t An Option

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But we’ve always done it this way. How many times have you heard someone say that famous line? You’ve properly heard it so many times that you’ve lost count. Just because you’ve always done it that way – doesn’t necessarily mean you should keep doing it that way. In today’s fast-paced business environment, you’ll be left behind if you don’t keep pace with all those changes swirling around you. Change is constant – how you and your team adapt is optional. You need to get on board so you don’t get left behind when the train leaves the station.

Worth Remembering – The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new. – Socrates.

If you could implement changes, what would you want to stop doing, keep doing or start doing?

Stop Doing – When was the last time you reviewed your processes. Why do you do what you do, and how do you do it. Are they value-added or no longer serving you? Ask everyone on your team and solicit their input.

Keep Doing – When was the last time you reviewed your processes to ensure that what you are doing is still getting the results worth getting. Are they value-added or no longer serving you? Ask everyone on your team and solicit their input.

Start Doing – When was the last time you reviewed your processes to find a better, more efficient, cost-effective way of doing what you’re doing. Are there new technologies that other organizations use that add value and will serve you better? In my college professor days, I called those best practices.

Worth Remembering – An organization’s ability to learn and rapidly translate that learning into action is the ultimate competitive advantage. – Jack Welch.

The business environment is constantly changing. Technology is changing. Team members change. Management changes. Leadership changes. Ownership changes and organizations need to change, too. The problem isn’t change because change will happen with or without you. The problem is our inability to cope with those changes. You and your team must adapt and change with the times. You must get on board, or you will be left at the station when the train pulls away. But we’ve always done it this way isn’t an option.

Copyright 2024. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Brian Smith wrote this article without AI assistance. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Call To Action – We all manage change differently. Inquire about our DISC Strategies training program to help yourself or your team adapt to the change. Contact Brian to learn how.

Don’t Take The Path Less Travelled

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Who will accomplish more and go farther in today’s team environment – the lone wolf or the pack? Chances are you stand a better chance to hunt down your prey if you stay with the pack. Using that same analogy makes you more likely to get better results if you stay with the team. Teams don’t need a lone wolf – they need team players. They need players who work well with others – but can work independently of others. They need team players to stay focused – do their part, and not get too distracted by what other team members are doing. If you want to be a good team player – don’t take the path less travelled.

‘The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.’ – Phil Jackson.

Championship teams get better results by assigning individual roles based on each member’s strengths. Successful managers and leaders put players in positions so they can utilize their strengths. They let each team member do what they do well – and let others do what they do well – and collectively, the team accomplishes the goal. Individual goals are important, but they shouldn’t take president over team goals.

Are you prepared to be a good team player and pledge to do the following;

  • Do something value-added.
  • Recognize/respect your peers.
  • If you find a problem, offer a solution.
  • Approach challenges as a challenge, not as a problem.
  • Share your successes with the team.
  • Be open-minded and flexible.
  • Demonstrate a positive attitude.
  • Listen to others more than you talk.
  • Smile, be friendly and approachable.

‘Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.’ – Vince Lombardi.

Think of a job that you could have in your lifetime that didn’t involve working with people. You would be hard-pressed to come up with one. You don’t have to like everyone on your team, but you need to learn to get along with them. Together, everyone does achieve more – that’s what teams are for. Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds. If you want to be a good team player – take the path the team is on. Don’t take the path less travelled.

Copyright 2024 – Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. This article was written by Brian Smith without AI assistance. It is not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a workplace training provider for yourself or your team? Brian works with those looking to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflict or manage change. Brian’s programs can be delivered virtually, online or in person and include one-on-one coaching at no additional cost. To learn more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization, visit – https;//briansmithpld.com