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#Leadership : 13 Ways To Overcome Negative Thought Patterns….You View the World Through your Mental Attitude. If that Attitude is Predominantly Negative, it Can Impact Everything, Including Health, Career, Family, & More. Furthermore, Negative Thinking can Have a Spiraling Effect that Attracts More Negative Thinking.

May 9, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Luckily, we can slowly train ourselves over time on how to think by implementing simple techniques. Below, coaches from Forbes Coaches Council offer their guidance on how to get started.

Here are the thirteen (13):

1. Have Daily Negative Thought Time

A paradoxical strategy to gain control over negative thinking is to commit to 10minutes a day ruminating and reviewing them over and over again. Negative Thought Time (NTT) must be 10 minutes and must be every day. When you have a negative thought during the day, jot it down, and tell yourself that you’ll review them during NTT. Over time, you will gain control and negative thinking will stop. – Julie Kantor, PhD, JP Kantor Consulting

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2. Replace the Negative Thoughts

We don’t overcome negative thought patterns, we replace them. For most of us, those negative thought patterns are well-worn neural pathways. Four simple steps:

Notice when you have started the pattern.
Acknowledge that its a pattern you want to change.
Articulate what you want to be different.
Choose a different behavior — one that serves your goals.

– David Taylor-Klaus, DTK Coaching

3. Be Your Own Best Friend

We are mean to ourselves. Nearly 90% of self-talk is negative. Three steps:

Release it. Let it out to help process, not to dwell. Three minutes, then the pity party is over.
Track it. Identify when you have negative thoughts. Awareness will enable reframing.
Reframe it. Once you know why you are being mean, consider what your best friend would say to you. Then tell yourself what you need to hear.

– Michelle Tillis Lederman, Executive Essentials

4. Write Instead of Think

Write down why the negative thought is present. Writing versus thinking helps purge the thought out, and when you can see the words on paper or a screen it is easier to make sense of it and move forward. – Steven Cohen, Meyvn Global

5. Make a Conscious Effort to Find Things to Love, Like and Appreciate

Instead of fighting negative thoughts, consciously reach for better feeling thoughts. One powerful way to do that is to speak (out loud if you can) to what you love, like and appreciate. Heading into a tough talk? “I love the way the coffee tastes today.” “I like the way this chair feels at my back.” “I appreciate the chance to process ideas with my team.” Reach for the relief, and you’ll find it. – Wendy Pitts Reeves, C2C Consulting, PLLC

6. Ask Yourself Some Tough Questions

Reflect on your answers to some tough questions. 1. What do I get from having negative thought patterns? What’s the reward for me? 2. What do I lose by engaging in negative thoughts? What are the costs? 3. What benefits would I receive from engaging in positive thoughts? What costs are associated with thinking more positively? 4. What in my past made me think negatively? 5. What will I do now? – Bill Gardner, Noetic Outcomes Consulting, LLC

7. Establish New Habits

Rather than thinking of it in terms of “overcoming” negative thought patterns, think of it in terms of establishing new habits. You do that by directing your attention to subjects where there’s nothing to “overcome”: subjects that you already feel good about, and therefore think positively about. That could be your pet, your painted toe nails, being outside, the beach… Start with something easy. – Christine Meyer, Christine Meyer Coaching

8. Stop Watching the Morning News

Research has shown just three minutes of negative news in the morning will significantly increase your chances of a negative experience over the course of the day. Research has also shown that positive mindset increases productivity and satisfaction while reducing errors rates. Mindset is a choice, but not always an easy one. Look to eliminate negative influences and stop watching morning news! – Dr. Woody Woodward, HCI

9. Use Affirmations

When you wake up, open your eyes and feel gratitude for the new day. Write down daily affirmations: “I love the people I work with,” “I make positive contributions every day,” or “I am open to inspired thoughts.” If a negative thought creeps in, think of a success you’ve had and the feeling that went with it. Positive thinking is a daily task, but worth it. – Erin Kennedy, Professional Resume Services, Inc.

10. Develop Your Success Routine

Every morning for fifteen years, I’ve done a process I created called “Quantum Programming.” It involves taking time each morning as you wake to meditate and focus on the person you want to be and the quality of life you want to live. You also set a few important goals to keep your momentum building toward your dreams. When you know what you want and are driving at it daily, negativity will fade. – Brett Baughman, The Brett Baughman Companies, Inc.

11. Channel Those Thoughts Into Something Constructive

Negative thought patterns can easily take over, but a fantastic (and constructive) trick is to identify what the negative thought pattern is and a project you’re excited about. Then, consciously commit to this: Every time you find yourself focusing on the negative, refocus your thoughts for five minutes on your exciting project. I did this recently and a new initiative is now ahead of schedule! – Emily Kapit, MS, MRW, ACRW, CPRW, ReFresh Your Step, LLC

12. Focus on Gratitude

Gratitude is underrated by most but is essential to a happy life. Life doesn’t get easier, but we become stronger as we reframe difficulties by recognizing all of the little good things going on around us. Keep a Good List and refer to it daily. Also, focus on what you really want and be very specific. A focused, positive mind will attract what it is seeking over time. – Jen Kelchner, TeenTrep.co

13. Try Movement and Meditation

As a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and a writing coach and author, I know that you can‘t escape negative thoughts without physically disrupting them. To get out of your head, get into your body. A few minutes of deliberate breath work (seated 10-15 minute meditation) or body movement (like a yoga class)can disrupt those thinking patterns. To get out of your head, move more. Feel more. – Dave Ursillo, The Literati Writers

Forbes.com | May 9, 2016 | Forbes Coaches Council

Your #Career : How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career….By Mid-Career, the Hard Skills that Got you the Job Won’t Be the Ones That Get you Promoted.

May 8, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

At the start of your career, chances are good that you’ll be hired primarily for your “hard skills”—the stuff you know that’s relevant for the job. When you’re fresh out of college or even a few years into your career, things like what software you’ve mastered, the knowledge you’ve picked up during internships and in school, and your other technical credentials really matter.

But what no one quite tells you is that while you might’ve been initially hired for those hard skills, they gradually matter less. The further you get in your career, the less you’ll be evaluated on those same skills—and this is especially important once you reach your mid-career point. Why? Because the hard skills that got you the job won’t be the ones that get you promoted.

Now that’s not to say that improving your technical skills isn’t important. You should get better and faster at whatever your craft is over the course of your career, whether that’s coding, designing, researching, or something else. But if that’s the only area you improve in, you may find advancement more elusive than you’d expected. Improving your technical skills may be enough to get you promoted from level one to two, or coordinator to associate, but to advance higher, you’ll have to show improvement in other areas as well.

SHIFT TOWARD SOFT SKILLS . . .

So how do you do that? It starts with knowing what really counts when it comes to advancement at each stage of your career. While every role is different, the secret is to progressively invest more in your “soft skills”—your ability to get things done, your leadership abilities, and your likability at work (like it or not).

To get started—and no matter where you are in your present career—take a minute to assess where you stand in each of these categories:

The further you climb, the more decisive these traits will become. Maybe you have a few of them under your belt but could brush up on others. Now that you know what you’re up against, it’s time to take action. Here’s a game plan for growing your soft skills:

1. Self assess. Taking stock of your recent work and workplace habits, which areas do you feel strongest in? Weakest in? Which do you believe is most crucial to prioritize now, and why? Knowing the answers to these questions will be important for framing your conversation with your manager in the next step.

2. Discuss with your manager. Now it’s time to get on the same page. Work with your boss to determine what’s most important for you to learn now versus in the future: How much weight does your manager give to growing in these areas? And do you agree? What can you expect to happen when you show growth in these areas? Try to get specific about what you’re being evaluated on at each level. Your responsibilities may look different at various career stages, so make sure you understand any internal “career ladders” available to you, and how these map to your strengths and areas of development.

3. Explore ways of growing these softer skills in your current job. And that growth may be closer at hand than you think. What opportunities for collaboration and leadership might already exist? What are some avenues for taking on more responsibility in these areas? Brainstorm opportunities and check in with your manager on them. You’ll want her support to take on new things, and to keep an eye on the progress you’re making.

. . . WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OF THE HARD ONES

What if your manager says you still need to improve your technical skills?

If you find that your manager is focusing on the technical skills even while you’re trying to bulk up on soft ones, this could mean two things: Either you’re still at junior level and need to grow in the basics (which is normal at the beginning of your career), or, if you’re mid-career and still getting this feedback, you may be at a company that values technical skills over people skills when it comes to promotions.

If that’s the case, you might find that the higher you go in a company like that, the less you enjoy the people who surround you. Consider whether that view (and company!) is a good match for you. Perhaps you’d be better off finding a different company that values your soft skills as much as you do.

FastCompany.com | April 29, 2016 | XIMENA VENGOECHEA

Your #Career : 5 Mistakes People Make Straight Out of College…Whether you’re eady or Not, you will Need to Move Forward after College. Here are 5 Mistakes you Want to Avoid.

May 8, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Finishing college is a big accomplishment, and for many people, a big relief. College can be a lot of fun, but some people are just ready to start their careers and start the next phase of their lives. Whether you’re ready or not, you will need to move forward after college.

The years after graduating college should be exciting, and you can learn a lot and advance professionally and financially if you avoid financial and career mistakes.

Once you graduate though, making wise choices in your job search and at your first job, and smart financial decisions, will help set you up for a successful life and career. On the other hand, spending money like you will never run out, or failing to appreciate your first job and learn as much as possible, can set you down a bad path that can be hard to come back from.

Here are five mistakes you want to avoid.

1. Failing to take your job search seriously

Ideally, you will have a job set up before you graduate. If you don’t, you will want to make finding one your top priority. According to USA Today, you can get a job coach, and also network and reach out to people at a company that you want to work for. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a job will simply fall into your lap; you need to get out there and apply.

Also, be careful of taking just any job. While you have to pay your bills, you will be in a much better place career-wise if you can find a job in your field. This is another reason why you should start searching early.

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2. Coasting at your first job

Landing a job is a big deal, but don’t assume that just because you get a job, you will keep it. It’s important to work hard and prove that you deserve to be at the company. Particularly when you are working at your first job, you want to establish yourself as an asset to the company. Being lazy or doing the bare minimum will only hurt you later.

Even if your first job isn’t ideal, you can still make the most of it: learn as much as you can, grow professionally, and network. You never know how your hard work will pay off. Even if your first job isn’t as interesting as you want, or isn’t at the level that you want, working hard and showing that you are a loyal and innovative team member may lead to just the job you do want.

3. Spending money impulsively

Once you have a job, it can be exciting to spend the money you make. Having a lot of money for the first time can be exhilarating and it can be very dangerous as well. As tempting as it is to go out and buy a new car, new furniture, and splurge on many dinners out, try to limit your extravagant spending. You probably have some time before you need to start saving for retirement, but spending wildly just because you have a job won’t pay off in the long run.

According to U.S. News & World Report, you should consider the benefits your employer offers and take advantage of them; also, think about your fixed costs and about your future savings.

4. Ignoring debt

If you took out student loans, you probably have a grace period before you need to start repaying them. If you have other debt you need to pay off, then it’s reasonable to wait to pay off your student loans, especially if you have other debt with higher interest rates. However, it’s a good idea to pay off as much debt as you can now. You don’t need to pay the minimum due for your student loans, and if you have credit card debt, the same is true. The more you can pay off now, the more available funds you will have to save for traveling, a house, or retirement.

When you graduate college, you will most likely have as few responsibilities as you ever will. Now is the time to pay your debt if you can.

5.Forgetting about your health

Yes, you’re young, and it can be tempting to spend money on the things you want instead of investing in health insurance. However, if you are no longer on your parents’ plan (which you usually can be until you are 26 ifdependents are covered), you do need to think about coverage. Even if you are still on your parents’ plan, you won’t be forever and you need to look at what plans your company offers and the cost of those plans. Also, it’s important to consider how many years you have before you need to pay for the insurance, or how it will affect your budget.

If your parents can’t cover you, then be sure that you do sign up for coverage. Without health insurance, you risk a serious financial hardship if an expensive health surprise comes your way (this is also a good reason to have an emergency fund).

Also, when you are working full-time, it can be easy to neglect other aspects of your health, such as exercise or diet. Maintaining a healthy diet, and finding time for exercise, will help you save money on expensive health care costs later.

The years after graduating college should be exciting, and you can learn a lot and advance professionally and financially if you avoid financial and career mistakes.

CheatSheet.com | May 8, 2016 | Sienna Beard

#Leadership : 10 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success Before 9 A.M. …… You Certainly Don’t Need to Adopt All these Habits Right Away — Instead, you Should Figure Out Which of These Routines Work for You & Get you Psyched to Seize the Day Ahead.

May 7, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You might think the day doesn’treally start until you get to the office and your boss starts pestering you about some new assignment. But the truth is that the way you spend every moment, starting from the second you open your eyes, matters a lot. In fact, there are plenty of easy early-morning habits that can set the tone for a productive, enjoyable rest of the day.

Here we have rounded up 10 ways to start off the day on the right foot.

You certainly don’t need to adopt all these habits right away — instead, you should figure out which of these routines work for you and get you psyched to seize the day ahead.

1. Wake up early

Read about the morning routine of any successful figure, and you’ll probably learn that the person wakes up with — or before — the sun.

In fact, when time-management expert Laura Vanderkam polled 20 executives, she found that 90% woke up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. Ouch.

Even if you’re not a C-suite exec, getting an early start could help you advance in your career.Recent research suggests that employees who get into the office early are perceived by their bosses as better performers than those who get in late — even if the early arrivers leave early, too.

2. Stretch out

If your impulse when your alarm goes off is to curl up into a ball and hope it stops beeping, you’d be wise to change your routine.

According to Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, the first thing you should do when you wake up is stretch your body as wide as possible. Cuddy suggests that your body influences your mind, so making yourself physically big could potentially make you feel more powerful, more confident, and happier for the rest of the day.

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3. Make your bed

Why make your bed if you’re just going to mess it up when you sleep in it later?

In his book “The Power of Habit,” journalist Charles Duhigg explains that making your bed is a “keystone habit” that can spark healthful, productive behaviors the rest of the day. In fact, Duhigg writes, people who consistently make their beds tend to have “a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.”

Plus, it takes only a minute or two.

4. Meditate

Celebrities from NBA star Kobe Bryant to actor Jerry Seinfeld get up early to clear their minds through meditation.

As Buddhist teacher Ethan Nichtern writes in “The Road Home,” meditating in the morning can help you stay focused for the rest of the day.

“We get up freaking out about our day, so it’s a great way to settle the mind and gain perspective,” Nichtern says.

Nichtern recommends a four-step process for those learning to meditate:

1. Take your seat. Find a clear, comfortable, and quiet place where you can stay focused and alert.
2. Check in. Take about 30 seconds to think about what’s on your mind and just let it all sink in.
3. Mindfulness of breath. Don’t treat it as a breathing exercise, but use peaceful and deep breaths as the anchor to your meditation.
4. Awareness of thoughts. Focus on your thoughts, and when your mind gets lost, be sure to bring it back.

5. Journal

Tim Ferriss, investor and author of books including “The 4-Hour Workweek,” is one of many successful people who spend each morning jotting down their thoughts and emotions.

Ferriss says that it’s the process of writing, as opposed to the final product, that he finds helpful. Most important, it gets ideas and conflicts out of your head so they won’t distract you throughout the rest of the workday.

6. Exercise

For some of us, the thought of putting on pants before 9 a.m. is awful. The thought of bicycling before 9? Positively nightmarish.

And yet research suggests exercising in the morning can help us stay focused and productive. A 2013 study found that after 15 minutes of cycling, participants performed better on cognitive tasks than those who didn’t exercise.

Plus, you’ll be able to check exercise off your to-do list before personal and professional conflicts get in the way later in the day.

7. Eat breakfast

Business Insider’s Rachel Gillett spoke with registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio, who told her that your first meal of the day jump-starts your metabolism and replenishes blood-sugar levels so you can focus and be productive for the rest of the day. Otherwise, you could feel irritable and have a hard time concentrating.

DeFazio recommended some easy breakfasts that are perfect for the workday, including fiber-filled oatmeal and protein-packed smoothies.

8. Visualize your day

In his second book, “Smarter Faster Better,” Duhigg suggests telling yourself stories about how the day will unfold.

He writes about researchers at MIT who studied the most productive people at a recruiting firm and found that they were “obsessive, in fact, about trying to explain the world to themselves and their colleagues as they went about their days.” For example, they might ask colleagues to help them imagine how a future conversation or a pitch meeting might go, so they were more prepared when the events actually happened.

Duhigg recommends making a habit of this strategy by spending your morning commute telling yourself a detailed story about the rest of the day.

9. Conduct a planning session

Resist the urge to dive headfirst into your inbox and start your day instead with what psychologist Ron Friedman calls a “planning session.”

Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Friedman suggests asking yourself this question: “The day is over and I am leaving the office with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. What have I achieved?”

Friedman says you’ll want to break each goal into a series of specific action items and then prioritize the most important.

That way, you’ll know exactly what you need to accomplish for the next few hours — and how to get there.

10. Do your most important work

Psychologists recently identified a phenomenon called “decision fatigue,” which explains why it’s helpful to do your most cognitively demanding work first thing in the morning.

Essentially, we have a limited supply of mental energy, and as we exhaust that energy by deciding what to wear and whether to have a salad or sandwich for lunch we have less left over for the important stuff, like drafting a project report.

It’s worth noting that the concept of decision fatigue may be more nuanced than we once believed. If you think your willpower is limited, than you’re likely to feel mentally exhausted at the end of the day. But if you think your willpower is limitless, you may feel ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way.

Businessinsider.com | May 4, 2016 | Shana Lebowitz

#Leadership : 24 Tricky Job-Interview Questions the Best Companies in America are Asking….’If You Could be Remembered for One Sentence, What Would it Be?’ —Google Associate Account-Strategist Candidate

May 5, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

With excellent perks, great pay and benefits, and high job satisfaction, employees at this year’s 50 best companies to work for in America seem to have a good thing going for them. But before you start seething with envy, you should see some of the questions they had to answer to get there.

To find these difficult and sometime odd queries, Business Insider sifted through hundreds of reviews on Glassdoor submitted by people who recently interviewed at the top companies.

If you’re thinking of tossing your hat in the ring, be sure to prepare yourself for some real head-scratchers:

‘If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?’ —Google associate account strategist candidate

‘How many Big Macs does McDonald’s sell each year in the US?’ —Facebook data scientist candidate

‘If this wall was a brick wall, and you were a brick, where would you be in the wall? What impact does this have on the wall as a whole?’ —Expedia market associate candidate

‘Design a spice rack for the blind’ —Intel hardware engineer candidate

‘Choose a city and estimate how many piano tuners operate a business there’ —Google product manager candidate

‘How much do you charge to wash every window in Seattle?’ —Facebook online sales operations candidate

‘How many children are born every day?’ —Apple global-supply manager candidate

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‘If you were to go camping with friends, where would you put your tent?’ —Expedia Senior Financial Analyst candidate

‘What kind of tree would you be?’ —Cisco Systems senior technical writer candidate

‘Why are manholes round?’ —St. Jude Medical electrical-engineer co-op candidate

‘If I was talking to your best friend, what is one thing they would say you need to work on?’ —Apple red-zone specialist candidate

‘If you could be remembered for one sentence, what would it be?’ —Google associate account-strategist candidate

‘If you were standing in a crowd of people, how would you stand out?’ —Microsoft site manager candidate

‘If you were to help a customer who is stuck on a boat in the middle of nowhere, what would be the first thing that you would say to that person?’ —American Express CCSG candidate

‘If I give you $1 million right now, what would you do?’ —Google associate account strategist candidate

‘How would you build Facebook for blind people?’ —Facebook product Manager candidate

‘Sell me this pen’ —Pfizer pharmaceuticals sales representative candidate

‘If you had a choice between two superpowers — being invisible or flying — which would you choose?’ —Microsoft high-level product-lead/evangelist candidate

‘How do you estimate the safe distance from shore given that there could be a tsunami?’ —Ebay analytics manager candidate

‘At this stage in your life would you prefer earning or learning?’ —Google software engineer candidate

‘What were you like as a child?’ —Biogen area business manager candidate

‘Write a program to simulate the writing of a ransom note given a magazine from which letters can be extracted’ —Microsoft software engineer candidate

‘What was your best day in the last four years? What was your worst?’ —Apple engineering Project Manager candidate

‘How did your parents feel about your performance in high school?’ —Eli Lilly senior care sales specialist candidate

Businessinsider.com | May 5, 2016 | Rachel Gillett

Your #Career : Is Your Job Doomed By Technology?…Is Any Job Safe? The Answer is No. It’s Something We’re All Going to Deal With. However,That’s Not the Right Question. The Real Question is: How Will You & Your Field Adapt to Technology?

May 4, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

At the Milken Institute Global Conference I’m attending in Los Angeles this week, brilliant minds are debating some of the most important topics affecting society, from prospects for global markets to “the promise of the cancer moonshot.” One I went to yesterday was a doozy: “Jobs and Technology: Is Any Job Truly Safe?”

“Is any job safe? The answer is no,” moderator and self-employed journalist Dennis Kneale said opening the session, after noting he lost his Fox Business Network job two years ago. “I found the media had almost no jobs and no growth. What happened to me is coming to you guys next and every sector everywhere maybe. ”

But when the panelists were asked whether any job was truly safe, they said… That’s not the right question. The real question, according to the panelists, is: How will you and your field adapt to technology?

How Jobs Have Changed and Will Change

Wendy MacLennan, 54, knows that first hand, as a fantastic story about her by Sue Shellenbarger in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (“An Engineer Returns to Work After Years at Home With the Children”) explained.

MacLennan had been a car designer at GM and Ford before taking 24 years off to raise her four children and teach at a home-schooling co-op. She was rehired at Ford in 2014 as a systems engineer and project manager designing hybrid vehicles. Because technology had changed so much, the new job, she told the Journal, “was way harder than I thought.” She described it as “like being dropped off in a land where you don’t speak the language.”

Goodbye overhead projectors, MacLennan found; hello virtual-meeting software. And the paper drawings she used to do had been replaced by computer-assisted design software. But MacLennan didn’t give up and neither did Ford, which gave her hours of online training and courses. Recently, the Journal said, MacLennan was named Employee of the Month in her 600-person department.

That story had a happy ending. But will yours? And what about other American workers?

Three of the panelists were hopeful, though hardly giddy — Alan Krueger, a Princeton economics professor and former chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors; Michael Chui, a partner at McKinsey Global Institute; and Kate Mitchell, co-founder and partner of the Scale Venture Partners venture capital firm.

One — Martin Ford, an entrepreneur and author of Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future — was more downbeat, though not fatalistic.

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Pessimistic About Jobs, But Not Society

Ford, described by Kneale as “the most pessimistic on the panel,” said: “I am pessimistic specifically about the future of jobs over the long run, but not over the future of society or the economy.” Ford added: “A huge number of jobs, especially routine, predictable ones across the board in industries and occupations and skill levels will be susceptible to automation. Machines are encroaching on the fundamental capability that sets humans apart.”

(More: How to Future-Proof Yourself at Work)

Mitchell, a fan of the growing “gig economy,” disagreed. “I don’t think we’re doomed. Is any existing job truly safe? We all need to be concerned,” she said.

But, Mitchell added, “the National Association of Manufacturers says there are 600,000 jobs going wanting due to a lack of people who can handle the skills of those manufacturing jobs.” In other words: yes, there will be dislocations, but there’ll also be opportunities.

Technology Will Increase, Not Eliminate, Jobs

And, she said emphatically: “Is the goal of technology to eliminate jobs? Absolutely not. What technology can do is increase jobs.”

However, she added, workers need to tech up. “Eight of 10 jobs today require digital literacy,” said Mitchell. “Computer science and data analytics have replaced English as the language people need to know around the world.”

Chui said McKinsey looked at more than 900 occupations and determined that “less than 5 percent of occupations can be fully automated, but 45 percent of activities can be adapted by technologies.”

Krueger conceded that “the nature of work is changing dramatically.” What technology has done, he said, “is, along with globalization, diminish demand for workers with a low level of skills.” But, he noted, “throughout history we have always feared that technology will replace jobs.”

The Jobs We Don’t Know About Yet

Then he presented a stunning, encouraging statistic: “I did a project looking at job growth from the mid 1960s to 2005 and found that the vast majority of job growth came from jobs that hadn’t been invented yet in 1965.” With a nod toThe Graduate, Krueger said, “plastics” jobs grew below average. Job growth, he concluded, “is very difficult to predict.”

Mitchell underscored Krueger’s point about hot jobs being “new” types of jobs by noting that computer scientist is now the most popular job in Colorado, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

Krueger also noted that the Uberization of the economy has invented and ballooned the number of contractor jobs — what he calls “alternative work” — that didn’t exist a few years ago. Citing his research that appeared in The Wall Street Journal in March, since 2005, the number of workers in “alternative arrangements” has risen to nearly 16 percent of the workforce, up from 10 percent a decade ago. “All of the net job growth form 2005 to 2015 is accounted for by growth in alternative work,” he said.

Indeed, the number of UberX drivers — they’re the ones who drive their own, standard cars — has doubled every six months for the last four years, Krueger noted.

But, Ford responded, independent contractor work is not “reliable income”and doesn’t provide fringe benefits in many cases. “Technology enables all this freelance work and the gig economy. It may be just the fist step heading to full automation,” he said. ”Uber is investing very heavily in building self-driving cars.”

Forbes.com | May 4, 2016 | Next Avenue

Your #Career : Job Stability? 5 Types of Employees That Companies Don’t Want Anymore…Are you a Hard Worker? Are you Loyal? That’s Great, But those Attributes Don’t Necessarily Mean you’ll Stay Employed (or Even Get a New Job).

May 4, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In the modern work world, it takes more than just proving you’ll stay put; you have to actually prove your worth to your employer. Know that there are certain types of employees companies don’t value as much as before. If you’re one of these types of workers, beware, you may have a hard time getting ahead.

Here are five types of employees companies don’t want anymore.

1. The flat liner

When you first started working for your company you had plenty of goals and fresh ideas. Now, all you want to do is get your check and go home. You’re either suffering from burnout, tired, or just don’t care anymore. It’s time to start caring. If you don’t get some motivation and develop ways to contribute to the company, your employer may eventually show you the door. Management expert Jeff Schmitt said this type of employee has simply stopped trying to learn. “We’ve all worked with them. They’re just there, biding their time and collecting a check. No goals. No plan. No purpose. Years ago, they were among the young Turks who begged for more responsibility. Now, they’ve mentally checked out…No, they’re not introverts who mask their passions. They’re simply employees who quit learning and getting better,” said Schmitt.

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2. The martyr

This is the opposite of the flat liner. You would do anything for the benefit of your employer. No request is too much. The word “no” never leaves your lips. Work every weekend for the next five weeks? No problem. Miss the birth of your first child? You got it. Years ago employers loved this level of dedication, but that’s not the case anymore. That’s because the martyr is a potential liability. You’re just one sleepless night away from making a critical error. This is why cloud communication company GetVOIP said this type of employee is actually toxic to the work environment. “The polar opposite of the slacker may seem like an employer’s dream, but a worker who insists on doing everything themselves can cause their own serious set of problems … They may have control issues, or may be working too hard to prove themselves, but they bring an imbalance to the team, foster unrest in the ranks, and are at risk of burnout,” said GetVOIP contributor Reuben Yonatan.

3. The ghost

You lack visibility and you like it that way. Your goal is to fly under the radar: Come to work, finish your projects, and go home. Your desire is to avoid conflict so you can hang on another day. The problem is, being invisible doesn’t work for very long. Being a ghost won’t protect you, it may actually hurt you in the long-run because no one will know what skills you bring to the table. Don’t let your fears of getting let go cause you to hide. Your employer won’t have the time to figure out your value when it’s time for layoffs. What’s even worse is you may be confused for a slacker. Management expert Patty Azzarello said avoiding visibility is a bad idea.

I find that very often when people take this position, they believe that they are on the high ground—that they are somehow morally superior to those who are more visible. And that being visible is, by definition, a shallow, self-serving endeavor. There are three issues with this:
1. If you choose to “fly under the radar,” don’t be confused or upset when you get passed over for raises and promotions. This was your strategy— to make sure no one knows you are there!
2. You are missing the opportunity to do better, more effective, more valuable work, if you don’t connect with others to increase your access to knowledge, experience and learning from others.
3. You are withholding value from the company by not sharing what you have learned with others. There is nothing political about communicating things of value and sharing knowledge. And when you do this, guess what?—you are no longer invisible!

4. The lifer

This type of employee is rare, but they still exist. If you’re one of them, it’s time to change up your plan. Staying with a company for a while can be good, but not if your career has stalled and you don’t have any plans to make a significant contribution. Companies want more than dedication, they want results. Years ago, loyalty was rewarded, but things have changed. So if you’re looking for a pat on the back for coming to work every day, you’ll be waiting for a very long time. So stop counting your perfect attendance for the last 10 years as major accomplishment.

Andrew G. Rosen, founder of career site Jobacle, said being a lifer can lead to complacency. “This can sneak up on you like the flu in the summer … Every season, you should reflect on your job and think about how a hiring agent will perceive your tenure. Are you becoming the lifer you promised you’d never be? If the work no longer excites you and the company is not willing to invest in you, it’s time to find an organization that will,” said Rosen. So if you’re a lifer who is making significant contributions and you’re learning new skills, good for you. But if you’re a lifer just sitting around until it’s time to retire, you may find yourself out of a job sooner rather than later.

5. The trainee

Sure, everyone needs a bit of training every now and then, but if you don’t have the basic skills required to do your job, you’ve got a problem. Employers just don’t have the time to hold your hand. “The Washington Post has a great piece from Peter Cappelli about how the ‘skills shortage’ that people like to blame on schools (and on college students’ choice of focus in their studies) is BS … and that the real issue is that employers just don’t want to train people anymore,” said Alison Green, founder of the website Ask a Manager.

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CheatSheet.com | May 4, 2016 | Sheiresa Ngo

#Leadership : What To Do When A Key Hire Quits…TAKE A DEEP BREATH. It Always Hurts When a Key Contributor Leaves, But There are Ways to Deal with it That Can Ease the Pain.

May 3, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

A great member of your team just came to you with an unexpected resignation. I’m sure you’re somewhere between being upset that you’re being deserted and worried about what you are going to do to handle that person’s contributions. Maybe you’re even more concerned that this will be the start of an avalanche—how many more people are thinking about leaving?+

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I know it’s a big loss and a big hassle to have to deal with a key hire departing, but, it’s totally normal and manageable. Get through the pain quickly and elegantly, and get yourself back as fast as possible.

TAKEA DEEP BREATH. If you’re successful, this is a scenario you’ll experience many times in your career. It always hurts when a key contributor leaves, but there are ways to deal with it that can ease the pain.

Here are my recommendations for when you hear that you’re about to lose someone who means a lot to the organization:

Find out why they are leaving. Are they running away from something or running toward something? Do they have their heads on straight regarding the situation?

Are they salvageable? If there is something wrong, can you fix it?

I always use additional compensation as a last resort, as it’s usually not compensation that makes them want to leave.

If you can fix it, is the person mature enough to re-commit and be wholly engaged? You only want people onboard who are fully engaged.

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If you decide they are salvageable, still do a gut check and make sure you’re not getting gamed. Sometimes people use the threat of leaving as a way to angle for more money. Unfortunately, people sometimes do disingenuous things.

Be very careful not to build an entitlement culture where people think if they threaten to quit, they become eligible for a promotion. That makes costs go crazy and makes you powerless. Reserve the times you are willing to get gamed for one percent of the employee population—the true talent—not 30-50 percent of the people who are trying to get a better offer. Only go through heroics for the true stars. Everyone knows what’s happening and you have to be careful about how they see you responding. If not, soon everyone will be at your door with a counter offer and request for a raise and promotion. How can you tell what’s what? Probe where they are going, then tell them that it sounds like a great opportunity and that if it doesn’t work out, they are welcome to come back.

If they will definitely be leaving, can you negotiate a transition plan that is beneficial for both of you? Can you get their agreement to help out in a pinch even if they are in a new job?

Treat them with respect and dignity on the way out. Celebrate their contributions and let them know they are welcome back if things don’t work out where they are going.

But remember, you need to celebrate the people who stay and do good work as much as—or more than—the folks that leave. Several times I’ve heard people say they only received recognition when they left (the squeaky wheel gets all the oil syndrome), which leads to very bad cultural dynamics.

Make sure the team knows that the departing person will be missed, but talk about the actions you and they can take to ensure that the company will still achieve its dreams.
Recognize that this is a great opportunity for someone else to step up and get a promotion.

Finally, look back and assess whether this was a surprise. Did you see it coming? Make it a point to proactively know where all your key talent’s heads are and work hard to keep them motivated and in the game.

I know it’s a big loss and a big hassle to have to deal with a key hire departing, but, it’s totally normal and manageable. Get through the pain quickly and elegantly, and get yourself back to terra firma as fast as possible.

Forbes.com | May 3, 2016 | Maynard Webb

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Your #Career : Best Money Moves When You Get Laid Off…The First Quarter of 2016 saw 76% More Job Cuts than the Last Quarter of 2015

May 2, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you’ve ever been laid off, you know how it stings. I’ve been there, too, and, sadly, growing numbers of workers have lost their jobs lately. The first quarter of 2016 saw 76% more job cuts than the last quarter of 2015, according to global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

If you become an unfortunate victim, you’ll have a myriad of financial decisions to deal with pronto. And they’ll demand clear thinking. So, just in case a job loss happens to you — or if it recently did — here are nine money moves you need to make:

1. Ask the nitty-gritty questions. Find out whether “any severance is being offered, whether the company has a written severance policy, when your insurance will be cut off, and — possibly most importantly — why you are being fired,” says Donna Ballman, author of Stand Up for Yourself Without Getting Fired. “You’ll need this information when you apply for unemployment, if you want to talk to an attorney about potential legal claims, when you apply for a new job and when you have your next doctor’s visit,” counsels Ballman.

(More: 5 Ways to Prepare for a Possible Job Loss)

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2. Get your employment-related financial stuff. If it’s not a quick shuffle out of the building with Security or HR, tap into your computer and make copies of: documentation of anything your employer owes you (say, commissions and bonuses); any employment agreements, confidentiality agreements and non-compete agreements you signed; your performance reviews, commendations, awards, disciplines, recommendation letters and anything else about your work that might be useful to a lawyer or to your state unemployment compensation agency, advises Ballman.

3. Scrutinize any severance agreement. It could contain a non-compete clause blocking you from working at certain places, for example. “Be clear on the restrictions you’re agreeing to in exchange for a severance payout. Be certain you aren’t giving up vested benefits. The agreement should clearly state the status and amounts of your 401(k), stock options or pensions,” says Ballman.

(More: Don’t Let a Job Loss Harm Your Retirement)

Your best move is to tell HR or your boss that you need some time to evaluate any severance agreement. If you’re being asked to sign something you don’t fully understand, don’t. First, talk to an employment lawyer; you can find one near you at the National Employment Lawyers Association website.

4. Examine your final paycheck. “You may be entitled to payout of all your accrued paid time off or vacation pay if the company doesn’t have a use-it-or-lose-it policy or if your state requires it,” says Ballman. If you’re paid by the hour, check to be sure you’ve been compensated for all the hours and overtime you worked.

5. Line up health insurance. Many employers cut off your health insurance the day you lose your job; some continue it to the end of the month. Initially, if you don’t have a spouse or partner’s health plan to fall back on, you might opt for landing coverage through COBRA (The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which lets you to buy it under your ex-employer’s group plan, generally for 18 to 36 months.

Some employers subsidize or pay the entire cost of health coverage, including COBRA coverage, for terminating employees and their families as part of a severance agreement. You’ll have 60 days to decide whether to sign up for COBRA; the insurance is retroactive to your loss of coverage date.

Your other option: buy an individual health plan from your state insurance marketplace or directly from an insurer.

Losing job-based coverage is a “qualifying life event,” allowing you to enroll anytime, not just during the normal Open Enrollment period.

If you’ll need health insurance between the time you lose your job-based coverage and when a Marketplace policy starts (for example, you or a family member needs medical care), you may want to sign up for COBRA, since it’ll continue providing benefits until your Marketplace plan kicks in.

6. Consider replacing any employer-sponsored life or disability insurance you had. If you purchased either type of coverage this way, you may want to buy your own policy now. If so, compare prices by using online insurance brokers such as Accuquote.com, FindMyInsurance.com, andLifeInsure.com.

7. File for unemployment insurance. “Some people hesitate to apply,” says Ballman. “Why? It’s your money. What do you think they’ve been paying in from your paycheck all this time? It may not be a lot of money, but it will help tide you over.” Apply by contacting your state’s unemployment agency as soon as you are fired or laid off.

Whether you’ll qualify for unemployment benefits depends on your state. To check your local law, visit the “Find Local Help” area of the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop site. Before taking any freelance assignments or a part-time job, read your state’s unemployment insurance rules; some work may reduce your benefit.

8. Be sure you get all your vested retirement funds. Any of your 401(k) contributions belong to you, of course, but your employer’s contributions (or matches) typically must be vested before they’re yours. You’ll vest, or own, a certain percentage of your employer’s contributions each year once you qualify for them.

9. Manage your retirement account. Chances are, when you leave your employer, you’ll want to transfer your accumulated retirement savings to aself-directed IRA that offers you more investment choices.

After you receive the funds from your employer plan, you have 60 days to complete the rollover to an IRA or other tax-deferred plan. Wait too long and the amount will be taxed as ordinary income; if you were younger than 59½ when the distribution occurred, you’ll face a 10% penalty, too. A direct rollover straight to an IRA or a plan at your next employer is best, so the money never comes into your hands. Ask your plan administrator to make the payment directly to another retirement plan or to an IRA.

You can, alternatively, leave the money in your ex-employer’s plan, and sometimes that’s more cost effective. Large corporations often negotiate with financial service firms for lower fees than you can get on your own in an IRA account.

My advice: Meet with a financial adviser to figure out what’s best for you. As a rule, I think an adviser should have the Certified Financial Planner designation, awarded by the nonprofit Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Just don’t cash out your 401(k) balance. If you do, you’ll owe income tax on any withdrawals and possibly that 10% penalty. As I wrote in this Next Avenue post, extracting retirement money before retirement is a weighty problem; nearly 45% of workers cash out their retirement accounts when changing jobs, according to the Women’s Institute for Secure Retirement (WISER).

The last thing you need after losing your job is a wallop from the Internal Revenue Service.

Forbes.com | May 1, 2016 | Kerry Hannon, Contributor

#Leadership : How To Deliver Bad News To Your Boss…It May Seem Like there’s No Good Way to Deliver Bad News To the Boss. But When you Deliver Bad News in a Way that Increases the Boss’s Feeling of Confidence in Your Competence

May 1, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Sometimes the boss might say, “What happened?” But there are plenty times when it doesn’t matter what went wrong.

It may seem like there’s no good way to deliver bad news to the boss. But when you deliver bad news in a way that increases the boss’s feeling of confidence in your competence to handle the bad news and that gives the boss a sense of control, you can actually deepen your working relationship with the boss.

How do we do this?

Number one is offering a little bit of control. This is as easy as walking into the boss’s office and saying, “Is now a good time to talk?” Let the boss decide. It may not be the right moment; maybe the boss is in the midst of prepping for the big board meeting.

Step two is sharing that there’s some bad news. All you want to say is, “I have some bad news about the Johnson account.” Don’t downplay the situation by saying, “I have some news that you may not love.” Soft-pedaling bad news is likely to backfire and drive the boss to say, “What do you mean? This is the most horrible thing ever and you’re sitting there like this is not that bad. What are you, nuts?” Downplaying bad news undermines the boss’s confidence in your competence.

And downplaying a troublesome situation is going to be extremely bad if your boss is among the 25% of people who are Analytical Communicators. These folks like hard data, real numbers, and tend to be suspicious of people who aren’t in command of the facts and data, or try to sugarcoat, cover-up, etc. (You can take this free communication styles assessment to assess your particular style and then use that insight to diagnose your boss as well).

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Step three is to make sure the boss understands what the heck you’re talking about. So again, we say, “Boss, do you have a few minutes to talk? I’ve got some bad news about the Johnson account. Are you familiar with the work we’re doing on the Johnson account?”

Don’t take it for granted that the Johnson account is forefront in the boss’s mind. Sometimes the organization is too big and the boss doesn’t automatically know every single thing that’s going on. The boss may say, “Yes, I’m familiar with the Johnson account,” or the boss may say, “I don’t know the Johnson account; catch me up?” If it’s the latter, be prepared to give a concise response such as: “We’ve been working on the Johnson proposal for the past six months.” Provide only the necessary context for the bad news you’re about to share.

Approximately 19% of people are Functional Communicators. They like process, detail, timelines and well-thought-out plans. They like to communicate things in a step-by-step fashion so nothing gets missed. And if your boss is one of these folks, they will really appreciate having some background and context so that they feel totally up to speed. (You can dig deeper into these communication styles in my Forbes article “Which Of These 4 Communication Styles Are You?”)

The fourth step is to factually deliver the evidence. About 26% of people are Intuitive Communicators, and they want you to cut right to the chase. They don’t need every single piece of history or emotional musings; they really want to skip right to the end point. So you might say “After working with the Johnson account for a year and a half in what we thought was a very stable relationship, they’ve just called in three other firms to bid on the work that we’re doing with them.”

What you don’t want to say is, “I don’t want you to worry. I think this is going to be okay, but the Johnson account called in three other firms.” What the boss wants is a) the necessary information but also b) enough information to know that you grasp the seriousness of the situation. You don’t want to go in and say the sky is falling, “Oh my, gosh. This is the worst. It’s awful. We’re all going to die because they called in three other firms and just shoot me now!” That’s not fact-based communication. That’s histrionic. We don’t want that, but we also don’t want, “Don’t you worry. It’s going to be fine.” Neither of these approaches will increase the boss’s confidence in your abilities.

Now, once we’ve presented the evidence, we’re going to offer the boss a bit more control. We’re going to ask them, “That’s the situation. I have a few thoughts on some possible solutions. Is that something you would like to hear about right now?” The boss won’t always be looking for your solutions right away. You’ve had time to think this over, but the boss is just hearing about it now and may need some additional time to catch up. If the boss says “yes,” offer your solutions.

Notice that I say “solutions.” One of the single best things you can do is to bring the boss multiple solutions. This provides the boss with some options. The boss may want to wrestle with a couple of different ideas; and giving only one solution pretty much guarantees that they’re going to take your idea, discard it, and go look for their own ideas. This will make you feel irritated and it’s not serving the boss the best either.

Once we present some solutions and a resolution is decided upon, confirm the resolution with the boss. “So we’ve decided that we’re going to do ____ and you want me to handle X, Y and Z parts of this. You’re going to handle A, B and C parts of this. Is that correct?” Just like when you get an assignment, state back with crystal clear accuracy exactly what it is you’re going to be doing to eliminate any chance of misunderstanding. This also helps to build the boss’s confidence.

One final piece to this; you may have noticed that up to now we haven’t given the boss the root cause of what went wrong. There’s a reason for that. You can offer the root cause if you are asked for it. But oftentimes, when you bring bad news, the root cause doesn’t really matter; it doesn’t help solve the problem in the here and now.

Sometimes the boss might say, “What happened?” But there are plenty times when it doesn’t matter what went wrong. If your computer crashed ten minutes before an important presentation, all that matters in those precious moments is finding a way to make that presentation. You can deal with the computer later. There will likely be a time down the road when the boss will ask for the root cause, after the crisis has been averted.

Mark Murphy is a NY Times bestseller, author of Hiring For Attitude, and founder of Leadership IQ.

Forbes.com | May 1, 2016 | Mark Murphy