This PowerToFly Mom Gets Her Work Done And Goes Skiing In The Same Day

This PowerToFly Mom Gets Her Work Done And Goes Skiing In The Same Day Dana K. welches hired through PowerToFly as a programmer at BuzzFeed last year. She lives in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. When not working remotely, Dana loves being outdoors with her family.Do you have any strategies for staying efficient outside of an office? What tools do you use?My team has an internal chat they use and some other issue tracking tools. Working in the house, your attention is on the time and you can become distracted. For me, I think its better to work in an office. I concentrate better and my attention is where it needs to be. Im looking for another co-working space, because the ones where I used to work arent accessible anymora. I travel in my home country, and I have good internet connection through my phone network. So usually, my husband is walking with our child and doing things and I stay in the motel and work.What are the biggest challenges about working remotely? How have you overcome them?It would have been a good thing if I was more disciplined from the beginning. Now, Ive learned to discipline myself in terms of my schedule and the space where Im working. Ive changed spaces six or seven times. I dont have many options for my schedule because I have a small child that is two years old. My husband also works, and we have a nanny who comes when she can. In the morning, I stay with my child and do other housework, and usually I work in the afternoon.How has working in this job changed your day-to-day life?It makes me feel much happier, which is the fruchtwein important thing. I can do things that I had to fight for before, because I didnt find the time. When I was working in an office, I didnt have time to do the things I wanted. I cant do all the things I want to now, but I can do more. I can ski and work in the same day, sometimes I can also paraglide. My husband is also very supportive, which helps me to do these things. I can stay with my baby a lot. While I was work ing in an office the schedule was from 9 to late in the evening. The whole day was lost. Apart from working and programming, I like going outside in the mountains, taking care of my child, and bringing him outside too. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is m ost likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 1000000 construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently e xperiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermo re, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of kofferverstrker welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p Th e construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.

Build a Strategic Framework Through Planning

Build a Strategic Framework Through PlanningBuild a Strategic Framework Through PlanningBoth people and organizations need to establish a strategic framework for significant success. This framework consists of A vision for yur futureA mission that defines what you are doingValues that shape yur actionsStrategies that zero in on your key success approachesGoals and action plans that guide your daily, weekly and monthly actions Your organizations success and your personal success depend on how well you define and live by each of these important concepts. In fact Companies whose employees understand the mission and goals enjoy a 29 percent greater return than other firms (Watson Wyatt Work Study).U.S. workers want their work to make a difference, but 75 percent do not think their companys mission statement has become the way they do business (Workplace 2000 Employee Insight Survey). Read mora to find out how to develop a successful strategic framework for your organization and yourself. What Is a Vision and a Vision votum? A vision is a statement about what your organization wants to become. It should resonate with all members of the organization and help them feel proud, excited, motivated and part of something much bigger than themselves. A vision is a picture of your organizations desired future expressed in a way that resonates with all members of the organization. The vision is shared with employees, customers, shareholders, vendors, and candidates foremploymentand createsshared meaningabout what your organization wants to become. Determining your vision is an early component in corporate or organizational strategic planning. The vision of the future that your organizations employees commit to creating should stretch your organizations capabilities and expand its current image of itself. The articulated and shared vision provides a picture of the organization that you are trying to create in the future. The vision becomes the rallying cry for your desired future. The vision is translated into actions via the development of a vision statement that expresses the overall vision. Create a shorter vision statement because employees will remember it better than a one. When employees internalize the vision statement, they take action to make the vision statement come true. Normally, the vision ranges in length from a couple of words to several pages. A shorter vision is more memorable. When a vision stretches on for pages, and even paragraphs, it is usually because the organization is also expressing how it plans to reach or create the vision. This process is better left for later in strategic planningwhen the organization developsstrategies, goals, and action plans. Vision Statement Samples To be recognized and respected as one of the premier associations of HR Professionals. (HR Association of Greater Detroit) Personal Vision Statement Your personal vision for your life can be as simple as a couple of words or as lengthy as 200 o r more elements you want to attain or accomplish. Looking for help and samples to assist you to craft a mission statement that resonates and inspires? Both people and organizations need to establish a mission statement within a strategic framework to experience significant success. Identifying and sharing your mission statement, vision, values, strategies, goals, and plans will engage your employees and fuel your future accomplishments. Heres what a mission statement entails along with sample mission statements to help you develop your own. What Is a Mission Statement? Your company or organization mission or purpose is expressed and shared as a mission statement. Mission or purpose is a precise description of what an organization does. The mission should describe the business the organization is in. Its a definition of why the organization currently exists. If the mission has been assimilated and integrated into your company culture, each member of your organization should be ab le to verbally express this mission. Every employees actions should demonstrate the mission statement in action. Personal Mission Statement Additionally, each person needs a mission for his or her life. The alignment of your life mission with your organizations mission is one of the key factors determining whether you are happy with your work and workplace. If your personal and organizational mission statements are congruent, you are most likely happy with your choice of work. Take the time to develop your mission statement for your own life compare your personal mission statement with the mission statement of your organization. Do the mission statements meld? Mission Statement Samples These are examples of mission statements that have been developed and shared with the public. FedEx Corporation will produce superior financial returns for its shareowners by providing high value-added logistics, transportation, and related business services through focused operating companies . Customer requirements will be met in the highest quality manner appropriate to each market segment served. FedEx will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, partners, and suppliers. Safety will be the first consideration in all operations. Corporate activities will be conducted to the highest ethical and professional standards.(Federal Express Mission and Goals) To give ordinary folk the mglichkeit to buy the same thing as rich people. (Wal-Mart Mission Statement)Our vision is to be earths most customer-centric company to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy angeschlossen. (Amazon.com Mission Statement)In order to realize our Vision, our Mission must be to exceed the expectations of our customers, whom we define as guests, partners, and fellow employees. (mission) We will accomplish this by committing to our shared values and by achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction, with extraordin ary emphasis on the creation of value. (strategy) In this way, we will ensure that our profit, quality, and growth goals are met. (Westin Hotels and Resorts Mission Statement) To spread the power of optimism. (Life Is Good)Each day, American Express makes it easier, safer and more rewarding for consumers and businesses to purchase the things they need and for merchants to sell their goods and services. An engine of commerce, American Express provides innovative payment, travel and expense management solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Most of all, we help our customers realize their dreams and aspirations through industry-leading benefits, access to unique experiences, business-building insights, and weltumspannend customer care. We enable our customers to do more and achieve more. (American Express) What Are Values and Value Statements? Values are beliefs that manifest in how an employee interacts in a workplace, and they stand at the core of what your organ ization is and what your organization cherishes. Values also known as core values and as governing values, represent an employees most significant commitments to what he finds most important in life. Value statements are developed from your values and define how people want to behave with each other in the organization day to day. They provide a measuring device against which you evaluate all of your actions and behaviors. Value statements are declarations about how the organization will value customers, suppliers, and the internal community, describing actions that are the living enactment of the fundamental values held by most individuals within the organization. The values of each of the individuals in your workplace, along with their experiences and upbringing,meld together to form your corporate culture. The values of your senior leaders are especially important in the development of your culture. These leaders have a lot of power in your organization to platzdeckchen the cours e and establish the quality of the environment for people. Your leaders have selected employees who they believe have congruent values and fit your workplace culture. The Impact of Your Personal Values If you think about your own life, your values form the cornerstones for all that you do, think, believe and accomplish. Your personal values define where you spend your time if you are truly living your values. Each of you makes choices in life according to your most important four to ten values. Take the time to identify what is most important to you and your organization. Identify and live your values. Manifest your values through value statements. Why Identify and Establish Values? Effective organizations identify and develop a clear, concise and shared meaning of values/beliefs, priorities, and direction so that every employee understands and can contribute. Once defined, values impact every aspect of your organization. You must support and nurture the impact of these valu e statements or identifying ?the values will have been a wasted exercise. Employees will feel fooled and misled unless they see the impact on your organization. Create Impact Through Values and Value Statements If you want the values you identify and the value statements you craft to have an impact within your organization, follow these guidelines Employees must demonstrate and model these values in action in their personal work behaviors, decision making, contribution, and interpersonal interaction.Organizational values help each person establish priorities in their daily work life. Priorities and actions must be grounded in the organizations values and model the value statements identified for each employees job.Allow values to guide every decision that is made once the organization has cooperatively created the values and the value statements. Structure rewards and recognition within the organization to recognize those people whose work embodies the values and the value state ments that the organization identified and embraced.Create organizational goals grounded in the identified values. Employees must identify how their goals and actions are congruent with and demonstrate the values daily.Recognize the adoption of values and behaviors in regular performance feedback.Hire and promote individuals whose outlook and actions are congruent with the organizations values. A truly organization-wide, value-based, shared culture will result from the active participation of all members of the organization along with the development of the systems and processes of the organization grounded in the companys values. Sample Values The following are examples of values ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, innovation, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardshi p, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistence, optimism, dependability, flexibility. Family, church, and professionalism are not values, although theyre important aspects of your life and deserving of your attention. If you define what you value about each of these, then you are identifying the core value. For example, the core value hidden in the use of the word family might be close relationships in church, spirituality and in professionalism, demonstrating integrity in everything you do. Corporate Examples of Value Statements Companies have many ways of describing their values and value statements including corporate philosophy, words to live by, leadership principles, guiding values or principles and more. No matter what an organization calls them, the values statements are rooted in the core values of members of the organization. They manifest the core values of their leaders especially. These value statement samples give you an idea of the depth and breadth from which organizations write their values. Search online for values and value statements, and youll find some that stretch to several pages too. Mercks Values To preserve and improve human life. (Merck) At Merck, corporate conduct is inseparable from the conduct of individual employees in the performance of their work. Every Merck employee is responsible for adhering to business practices that are in accordance with the letter and spirit of the applicable laws and with ethical principles that reflect the highest standards of corporate and individual behavior... At Merck, we are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We are responsible to our customers, to Merck employees and their families, to the environments we inhabit, and to the societies we serve worldwide. In discharging our responsibilities, we do not take professional or ethical shortcuts. Our in teractions with all segments of society must reflect the high standards we profess. Zappos Family Core Values As we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define the core values from which we develop our culture, our brand, and our business strategies. These are the ten core values that we live by Deliver WOW Through ServiceEmbrace and Drive ChangeCreate Fun and A Little WeirdnessBe Adventurous, Creative, and Open-MindedPursue Growth and LearningBuild Open and Honest Relationships With CommunicationBuild a Positive Team and Family SpiritDo More With LessBe Passionate and DeterminedBe Humble The Zappos Family Values are clearly described in detail on their website and worth a visit. Googles Core Philosophy Google calls its values and value statements its philosophy, and they re-look at the components every few years to make sure that the values are still the same. Focus on the user, and all else will follow.Its best to do one thing really, really well. Fast is better than slow.Great just isnt good enough. More Samples of Values and Value Statements Additional values and value statements samples are available for your review. Microsofts Core ValuesAmazon.coms Leadership PrinciplesMarriott Core Values In a strategic business framework for organizational planning and success, your strategies, goals, and action plans intertwine and build upon each other to create the appropriate steps to accomplish your mission and vision. Organizations need strategies, goals, and action plans to cascade the mission through the organization and engage the talents of all employees. Here is how strategies, goals and action plans fit together to accomplish your mission and vision. What Are Strategies? Strategies are the broadly defined four or five key approaches the organization will use to accomplish its mission and drive toward the vision. Goals and action plans usually flow from each strategy. One example of a strategy is creating employee em powerment and teamwork. Another is to pursue a new worldwide market in Asia. Or to streamline your current distribution system using lila drink management principles. One university Human Resources Development department established several broad strategies for growth. These included becoming the training and education resource of choice for all employees by offering one-stop access to any and all existing education and training resources. Additionally, they determined key strategies for expanding their funding base and moving courses online for customer convenience. Another Human Resources department devised strategies to develop a superior workforce. These included eliminating poor performers hiring from several choices of excellent candidates rather than settling on a candidate developing succession planning, and increasing training and cross-training opportunities. Sample Strategies The Human Resource Association of Greater Detroits (HRAGD) efforts to advance its mission wil l include The promotion of voluntary member interchange, observance of ethical and professional standards, the conduct of meetings and workshops on relevant human resources topics and issues, communication of our purpose and activities to the broader business community, cooperation with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), as well as, other SHRM professional and student chapters and related Human Resources organizations and the community involvement of our membership. The Association regularly publishes newsletters throughout the year which cover items such as monthly meeting highlights, future programs, Executive Board announcements, SHRM, and legislative updates and general human resources news. Also, a Membership Directory and member skills listing are published. FedExdeveloped these business strategies. The unique FedEx operating strategy works seamlessly - and simultaneously - on three levels. Compete collectively by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking wi th one voice.Operate independently by focusing on our independent networks to meet distinct customer needs.Manage collaboratively by working together to sustain loyal relationships with our workforce, customers, and investors. Develop Goals and Action Plans After you have developed the key strategies, turn your attention to developing several goals that will enable you to accomplish each of your strategies. Goals should reach beyond the terms in the traditional SMART acronym specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based. As an example, the HRAGD group might consider setting one goal to hold a monthly chapter meeting. Another goal that supports the carrying out of their strategies involves scheduling a relevant seminar quarterly. An additional one might include holding informal dinners and cocktail hours to support voluntary member exchange. Once you have enabled strategy accomplishment through setting goals, develop action plans to accomplish each goal. For HRAGD to offer a quarterly seminar, heres an action plan to follow Establish a cross-section of professionals as a committee and meet to plan the sessions.Determine budget.Perform an assessment of HRAGD member needs.Select topics based on member needs assessment.Locate exceptional speakers.Pick speaker and negotiate workshop length, pay, topic and objectives.Determine location and schedule the seminar.Plan advertising strategies. Make action plans as detailed as necessary and integrate the individual steps into your planning system. An effective planning system, whether it uses a software program, an iPad, or paper and pen, will keep your goals and action plans on track and on target. Want to be one of the organizations whose employees understand the mission and goals and enjoys a 29 percent greater return over other firms? Involve as many people as you can in charting the roadmap weve shared for developing a strategic framework for your business. Executed effectively, you will enjoy a grea ter return. With your vision, mission, values, strategies, goals and action plans, youll win, both personally and professionally.