The Truth about Blogging

To Blog ot Not to Blog: Is that the Question?

Whether you are blogging professionally or personally, to a wide audience or to a specific group of friends, there are three critical success factors.

#1 Consistency—You have to produce content on a regular basis or your blog is forgotten. It is true, if you don’t read your blog, no one else will either. It helps to have a passion for what you are sharing.

#2 Communicate Valuable Information—People read blogs for information, entertainment, education, to connect with communities of like-minded people that they can interact with online (and often anonymously), to stay up-to-date in whatever content area the blog covers. At 150-500 words, blogs are a quick read. The writing has to provide value or people won’t return to your blog, "like" it or press share.

#3 Know Why You Blog—Are you posting an online journal? Are pushing traffic to your business or product for purchase? Are you connecting your blog audience with your brand (are you a hairstylist, accountant, writer, massage therapist, mom, personal trainer, financial planner, interior designer)? Are you blogging to create passive income? Are you blogging to establish yourself as an expert? Sharing a hobby? Following a team or celebrity? Reviewing movies, music or books? There are as many reasons to blog as there are individuals.

A lot of people ask me about blogging—Why do I blog? (I love the process and it has truly impacted my life in a positive way.) Why don’t I monetize my blog? (It’s complicated). How much time does it take? (It depends on the post). How do I come up with blog post ideas? (People often contact me with ideas on LinkedIn or Twitter. Sometimes I respond or rant to stories in the news.) Do I have any help creating blog posts? (Not really, friends-Patty J. & Patti M. and my Mom edit posts. It is not a multi-author blog although I am open to “guest” posts.  The ideas you read are my own.) What platform do I suggest? (I use a free basic version of Blogger. In the blogosphere, Wordpress.org seems to rule and pros customize their domain name.  Just search online there are many alternatives. There is no one right answer.)

Yes, there are tons of people making BIG $$$ blogging. Will you be one of them? Remember Perez Hilton? His estimated monthly blog revenue was $450,000 at one point for his obsession with celebrities. And in 2005, Arianna Huffington started her political blog and in 2012 it was sold to AOL for $315 million; she reportedly pocketed about 6% in the transaction. Okay, maybe your goals are more modest—everyone from “mommy bloggers” (naturemoms.com/blog) with 5,000 subscribers is making bank off advertisements to Jessica Quirk’s fashion blog, (whatiwore.tumblr.com) has >10,000 Google readers and ad rates to match.

Find your passion and blog about it!

Beyond.com Interviews Brenda

http://www.theconfidentcareer.com/2014/03/how-to-handle-your-career-in-changing-times-the-confident-career-candidate-series-video.html

It's Time for Your Vacation

Vacations, whether home-based or involving travel are important components to work/life balance, productivity and relieving work-related stress. A few days off to move children into their dorm at college or to help your parents relocate to a retirement community don’t count as vacations. Time away from work that includes checking business e-mail and voicemail multiple times a day doesn’t count as vacation either.

According to a Vacation Deprivation Survey, U.S. employees reported “feeling rested and rejuvenated after vacation as well as reconnected with their families.” 34% of employees in the survey stated they return to work feeling better about their jobs and more productive at work. According to a 2013 survey by SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management, vacations affect employee morale, wellness, performance, retention, productivity and office culture.

I reported to a Sr. Vice-President with the attitude that if your department couldn’t function without their leader for five days, you needed to replace your managers and supervisors. Interesting Perspective!

Forward-thinking companies encourage their employees to recharge their batteries by implementing “use it or lose it” vacation policies. Companies also “cap” or limit the amount of vacation carry-over or pay-out for unused time off in an effort to keep their high-performers at optimal productivity.

There are many reasons managers resist taking time off and most of them are revealing. Here are a few examples:

1.       The “live-to-work” manager who doesn’t own the business. There’s a fine line between at-work martyrs who feel guilty unless they log more hours than their peers and goes on ad nauseam about it and a workaholic.

2.       The “arsonist manager” constantly is on the telephone putting out fires mostly caused by (guess who?).

3.       The “micro-manager” is prevalent in middle management. At the heart of this manager’s reluctance to miss a minute of work is F-E-A-R. Take a deep sniff; you can smell it. This is the manager who can’t miss a telephone call or an e-mail and they are in your workspace to make sure you don’t miss one either.

4.       The “I-AM- My Work” Boss. This is the manager defined by their work. Within moments of meeting any one the, “what do you do for a living” question is blurted out. A week without life-affirming work spells a near death experience.

Individual contributors can also exhibit similar traits, but it is more damaging for managers because they create and control the culture of their work unit. So take a few days off. Recharge your batteries. Reclaim your life outside work and more than anything, Have Fun!

Finding Your Career Passion in Mid-Life

Americans 55 years or older comprise 21% of the U.S. labor force according to the US Department of Labor. Here’s the problem, it is the first time in history that these 55+ year olds have a lot more than ten years remaining in the workforce. Blame the Baby Boomers for not retiring at age 65 to spend twenty years focused on golf, grandchildren and grand buffets. And even if you are in still in your 40s, these are the years when you need to evaluate and investigate secondary career paths so when you hit the decade I consider the most dangerous to your work/life, “The Fantastic Fifties,” you have the widest range of choices.

It is always exciting to meet someone in their 40s, 50s or 60s that love their jobs and the companies they work for love them back. (That is an important part, the company loves you back—but I’ll deal with that later in this post). I meet more people than ever that adore what they do for a living. Whether it is an entrepreneurial pet sitter earning more money than he ever expected; a medical capital equipment sales star turned award-winning vintner; a health information management professional turned online educator or a person who went from automotive executive to ordained minister, people are creating work they can see themselves doing post-65.

I also talk to a lot of people who say, “As soon as I am 62, I’m outta here-retired and never working again.” Those are the people who I know have not found their passion. Sometimes it is a hobby that can be monetized. Others prefer to keep their hobbies separate from work and go back to school to learn a new skill or turn their volunteer work into a paying job. How do you get started on your career exploration? You don’t have to come up with the answer immediately. Just keep the thought in the back of your mind and jot down ideas as they come to you. Focus on your strengths and activities you enjoy-- thinking about your skills that others often compliment you on performing. Over time and maybe with assistance, you will find your vocation, a word with Latin origins that means “to call.” 

Not all industries, companies or human resource professionals are prepared for the reality posed by Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). A January 2014 Gallup Report stated, U.S. retiree age has risen steadily from 57 to 61. According to Gallup, “nearly half (49%) of boomers still working say they don’t expect to retire until they are 66 or older, including one in 10 who predict they will never retire.” Companies have not created talent development for mid-life career professionals (hoping they will gracefully retire—no thanks!) As older worker salaries stretch the range of broad bands and other compensation structures, they often find themselves targets of lay-offs because companies are not creative enough to leverage their talent, skills and abilities. So, if you are 40+ at a company that loves you back, enjoy it, use the tuition reimbursement to extend your skills and pack your resume with accolades—trust me, one day you will need it.

The 2014 Purpose Prize

$100,000 Prize from Encore.org Seeking Nominations NOW!

What are you doing after work? If you know someone 60+ that is making a difference for their community and making society better, you can nominate them for The Purpose Prize sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies and run by Encore.org. There is a second $100,000 prize in 2014 for an individual whose approach to helping society will grow steadily over the next five years.

The Process: 

You may nominate yourself or someone else. They must be at least 60 years old at the time of nomination.

Nominations are accepted until January 31, 2014 at 11:59 Eastern Time.  Nominees will be contacted by encore.org and must complete the online application and application narrative by February 7, 2014.

Semi-finalists are required to submit a resume, references and have a telephone interview by March 28, 2014. 

Learn more about the awards, encore fellowships, view a 2:40 minute video and learn more about past winners at www.encore.org.

GO FOR IT:

 In the 21^st Century there is a new vision for 60-year-olds. With over twenty years ahead of them, today’s sixty-year-olds are redefining personal fulfillment, social impact and passion. People at sixty are not fading away; they are moving from success to significance in their lives. According to encore.org, the top five encore careers are: 

Health Care Encores

Green Encores

Government Encores

Nonprofit Encores

Education Encores

Even if this year is not your year to pursue a Purpose Prize; this is a great time to learn more about the award and work toward becoming a finalist. This is the ninth year of the program and it shows no signs of going away. 

2013 in Review for Experienced Workers

2013: A Year in Review for Experienced Workers

A record-setting stock market has added to 401(k) and 401(b) accounts held by 40+ employees and a public conversation about a livable wage made 2013 a better year for experienced workers. I loved 2013 because many experienced workers that I know were able to make career changes or find work after being among the long-term (>1 year) unemployed. It was not a great year because:

(1)    too few human resource departments  are developing employee strategies focused on retaining, engaging and leveraging an older workforce

(2)    age discrimination runs more rampant in companies primarily because severance packages prevent employees from filing lawsuits- so the behavior goes unchecked and the burden of proof continues to clearly supports business, not the employee

(3)    four generations in the workforce-for the first time in history-requires training and development strategies to boost employee engagement; a different type of leadership strategy including reviewing the total reward structure—benefits, recognition, compensation, paid time off and development opportunities across the workforce—not for targeted age groups; it Is not happening in most companies

(4)    recent rulings have not supported the reform of the Supreme Court’s decision in Jack Gross v. FBL Insurance that made it harder to sue with age discrimination as the reason

Yes, companies are hiring more workers in their 40s, 50s and 60+s. I can’t say how other employees or managers act toward their mid-life co-workers or whether corporate infrastructure supports their  attempt to thrive in the workforce. Trends for experienced workers in 2014 are the subject for a future blog post.

Baby Boomers @ Work

By the end of 2014, every Baby Boomer will be age 50 or over.  The generation born between 1946 and 1964 that has reshaped every phase of life is challenging how, when or if their working years end. There is a glaring disconnect, because Corporate America is youth obsessed. While I am not giving business a green light on its behavior, it is easy to understand how this happened.  

Thirty-six years ago, my professional career began at a medical publishing company in downtown Chicago. The executives smoked in their offices, drank heavily at lunch and retired promptly at 65. A couple of years after the hard-driving, uber-traveling, carb-fed publishing executives retired; they died. American life expectancy has increased nearly twelve years since Boomers were born which also extends midlife careers. It is not just how long we are living as much as how well Boomers are living. Our generation is not focused on merely surviving into our 60s, 70s and 80s—we totally expect to thrive. At work, the Gen-X and Millennials are not quite sure how they feel about our sustained ambition. As the younger generations move into hiring and management roles, some want Boomers to take a permanent seat on a chaise by the pool and stay out of the office.

What are the implications for our careers?

1)      Focus on your immediate supervisor. If you have a good relationship with your boss and they value you and your work; they can shield you from corporate dysfunction.  However, while the good boss is there, you need to build other allies. I remember my all-time favorite direct supervisor taking a new position in California. His replacement wiped out all but one director in our department. Fortunately, my internal mentor was in a position to insure I made a soft-landing in another part of the organization where I stayed another six years. Your company can be on the list of best companies for older workers, but if your boss doesn’t support you—none of that matters.

2)      After age 40-Every Job is a Temp Job. It used to be 50, but the age of business irrelevance ratcheted down as tech innovation skyrocketed. Unless you are a software application developer, network and computer systems administrator, engineer or CPA---once you get in your forties, career moves must be strategic. Why do you want to work for this company? Is this a job or a career move? Evaluate the total reward package-salary, long & short-term employee benefits, perks and work/life environment. Are the employee benefits low and the 401(k) match high? Is there an attainable pension? In a small company-can you buy an equity position? The Employee Benefit Research Institute saw job tenure increase to 5.4 years in 2012 (for males it is less).

3)      The Safety Net has a Hole In It: Once upon a time jobs in the public sector were considered “safe” and jobs in health care never had lay-offs. Welcome to the 21^st century, the game changed. Hospitals are doing more with less (people, that is) and even patient-facing jobs need less people as care moves home ASAP. The home health aide is not making nearly the salary of workers in an acute care setting. Government workers can remind you of the shut down in October. And local governments are filing bankruptcy and ditching pension responsibilities as fast as Kardashians are getting divorced. Choose your industry wisely, but stay open to change.

4)      Develop Yourself: Companies pay for training that benefits the organization—legal training so you are aware of what is considered harassment or regulatory training- so if you do something wrong-you’re fired.  If you are in the succession plan, you may score management training specifically for the next level. Staying relevant at 40+? Learn how to use social media strategically to network and for job search. Learn a foreign language if it fits into your future career plans. Get a Bachelors degree online if you don’t have one already.

5)      Manage Your Emotional Intelligence: Crying at work? Very 1980s-no longer tolerated. Managers that scream at employees? Once one employee gets worker’s comp for stress b/c of your “leadership” unless you own the company—you are out! Screaming, bellowing and belittling employees-very 1990s. Arrogance? Check your ego at the door and save it for your friends outside of work. CEOs and GMs can still get away with being prima donnas at large organizations, but for everyone else, your EQ, like your reputation will follow in 5.4 years when you make your next job move. Social media sites like Glassdoor, Twitter and industry specific are searched by recruiters and hiring officials—so it is more like a glass house. Too much online chatter is a red flag to the elite executive recruiters.