Whether you are an employee, someone looking for a job, or a company owner, year-end and the pending new year is the time for reflection and planning.

Here is my guide on how to not screw it up.

Employee guide to get your shit together:

1. Yes, it’s natural to think of a new year as a new beginning, which often means a new job. Resist this temptation and really explore whether it’s just the timing, or that you really do need….really need, not just want, a new job.
2. If you are unemployed, review the past and determine what has worked and what has not worked in your search. Evaluate, assess, and refine your strategy. Commit to it.
3. Evaluate your current job first, before you decide you need a new one. The grass is not always greener. Are there things you can be doing in your current company and role to make the new year better? Have you explored these with your manager?
4. Take any vacation/holiday downtime for reflection and focus. Set goals. Get laser-focused on what you need. Establish a strategy to obtain it.
5. Be realistic. If you are going in a new career direction or not, be realistic with your expectations, timelines, and what you need to do to achieve your goals.
6. Cut yourself some slack. If the year did not go well, don’t dwell on it. Tomorrow is a new day.

Employer Guide to not annoy your employees:

1. I cringe when I hear about “two-day off-site planning meetings”. I owned three companies, but before I did, I worked for a lot of them. I cannot think of one company that I would enjoy spending two days with, basically working, away from my family. It sounds great to business owners, and they are totally into it. Your employees….some are, some aren’t. Either way, it’s an imposition.
2. Lead, lead, lead. This is your time to establish vision and mission. You drive the bus. Don’t ask your employees where they want to go. It’s your bus. They are either on it, or they can get off. But drive it well.
3. Engage. Contrary to #2, this is not the time to lecture or tell them “how it’s going to be”. There has to be engagement and involvement, just not in the big picture stuff.
4. Reward good work. If your company had a good year, reward your employees. Chances are they had more to do with it than you did.
5. If your company did not have a good year, lick your wounds, and get ready to battle again. Assess what went wrong, what didn’t work and set a new course. Be honest and open with yourself. This is not the time for your ego to get in the way.
6. Have fun. Eat lunch. Go out for drinks. Play.
7. Be flexible. People may need some extra time for family this time of year. Understand and allow this, but don’t allow this flexibility to be abused. Set the groundwork and expectations.
8. Set goals for the new year. Make them aggressive but achievable.
9. Follow through. Understand that when the next year comes around, whether you acknowledge them or not, your employees will remember the goals you set the previous year. Don’t hide from them if you did not achieve them.
10. Say “thanks”.

HR analyst at Software Advice, Erin Osterhaus, reports on the growth and changes from 2008-2013 in the HR industry.

http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/industryview/hr-ecosystem/

Interesting to note is the continued trend of consolidation in the staffing industry. As a small staffing agency owner, it’s concerning to see the big get bigger. Talent can be underserved by these “corporate” brands, where there can exist a drive-thru fast food mentality to staffing. Firms built on relationships are often “closer” to talent but can find it harder and harder to get heard by big brands with large staffing vendor management services. Those firms in turn don’t have the best access to the best talent.

Not surprising is that staffing agencies comprise less of the list than they did in 2008. The industry obviously went through a slump during the recession and growth rates were hurt. Expect these numbers to rebound when reports look at 2014 and beyond.

In 1991, three friends from Portland, OR living in San Francisco signed up for a basketball league in Oakland, California. In the Bay Area, Oakland has the strongest reputation for good street basketball . And one thing these three knew about was playing street ball. Asphalt courts, chains for nets, double rimmed hoops, bad weather, uneven surfaces, it did not matter. They’d seen it all.

Growing up, they were every bit as good as their peers who played on the high school teams, but these three took other paths. With so much structure already in their lives from attending private high school, the option of playing under the looser reigns of city league ball appealed to them more. Plus, they just loved playing basketball, so it didn’t matter where they played or in what league so much as they just wanted to play, and to play together. They brought this “take anyone on” mentality to Oakland and later San Francisco forming a team named Bitter, and then, The Bittermen.

In existence in one form or another since ’91, the team had mostly disbanded until the opportunity to play the prison team at San Quentin every month became reality. As one of the team’s founders, and having moved away from San Francisco many years before, and officially being on injury-retirement, the chance to lace them up one more time for a once-in-a-lifetime experience was too much to pass up. I was headed to prison.

The first thing you notice about San Quentin prison is how pretty it is. Not so much the physical structure, though, having been built in 1852, it has a cool castle-like quality to it. It’s the setting you notice. San Quentin sits on San Francisco Bay in glorious sunshine. The day we arrived for our game versus the 40-year-old+ prison team, The Kings, we were even greeted by seals playing in the water as we gathered in the visitor’s parking lot.

Most times you have a basketball game, you are conscious of the need to be on time to allow for warm-ups, any stretching and of course to not forfeit by missing the tip off. While we were cognizant of the start time, our coach reminded us that it really doesn’t matter if we are a few minutes late. The prisoners aren’t going anywhere and are waiting for us regardless of when we show up.

San Quentin has the largest death-row population of any prison in the country. Charles Manson has lived there, and Scott Peterson is housed there now. And of course, San Quentin has a “no hostage” policy. My first thought when I heard that was, “oh, the prisoners are not allowed to take hostages. Well, that makes sense.” Um. No. The prisoners can take hostages all they want, but the prison guards will not negotiate with a prisoner who has taken a hostage. In other words, hostages are expendable thus rendering the act of taking hostages ineffective. The prisoner is shot and if you get in the way, that’s just the way it is.

To enter San Quentin and play requires passing a thorough background check. Even one unpaid parking ticket and you don’t get in. Looking back, and knowing the guys on the team, it is a bit of a wonder that we all cleared, but for the most part we’ve cleaned up our acts over the years. One player, coming out of retirement like myself, didn’t pass at the gate, and had to stay behind.

Entering the prison, on the other hand, was surprisingly easy. Once you pass through the main gate you have to walk along a road bordering the beautiful bay. You arrive at the building structure, avoid staring too long at the memorial to prison guards who lost their life in the line of duty, and enter another gate with another checkpoint. Gate opens, you enter another holding pen-type area, the gate behind you closes, enclosing you for a moment, ID’s are checked again and the forward gate opens and finally….you are inside. You enter a nice courtyard, peer back over your shoulder at death row, walk down a paved ramp around a corner, and there you are. In the Yard. The court is still another 100 yards away which gives you an opportunity to soak it all in. You soak in where you are, the lack of any control mechanism, and the need to stay close to your teammates. You know there are guards somewhere but you don’t see them. All you see are inmates hanging out, lifting weights, jogging, and just happy to be outside their cells. But, this isn’t a time to go exploring. You see the court and your mission is to get there quickly. You are there to play basketball not fraternize with convicted felons.

Yet….

Every single inmate player approached every Bitterman team member with a handshake and a hug of gratitude for coming to play the game. Every single one. And not just thanks, but warm and sincere thanks. Then before the game commenced, a gathering of players at center court for a speech, a prayer, and all hands…inmate and Bitterman, stacked together in the middle of the huddle for a shout of “family!”. However, given the way the inmates came out firing shots, throwing elbows, and playing lock down defense to start the game, the feeling of “family” quickly subsided.

The game was lost 67-50. To say that the inmates had a home court advantage is an understatement. The court is not level, the backboards crooked and made of wood, the wind swirls off the bay, and of course, there is the heckling from the crowd. That the Bittermen had won the previous game against The Kings probably did not help either. They came out seeking revenge and got it.

They all thanked us again for showing up. Though they had won the game, it seemed like they were just happy to have had the opportunity to play. And to have the connection with the outside. Another group circle at center court, some good-natured ribbing, and a final shout of “family!”

Family indeed.

Recently I read an article in an HR publication about attracting and retaining the Millennial workforce. Millennials want this it said, Millennials want that, benefits are a right not a perk, they want a voice, what makes this age group tick, what do they look for in a job and career, what makes them cry, you name it. To which I thought to myself, who cares what they want?

I care about my business. I care about my employees. I care about my customers. I care about doing the right thing. I care about having strong values, a strong vision, a strong mission, and follow through. If that means a Millennial is interested in working for my company, great. They will get the same attention and support that anyone working for me would.

What about what makes Gen Y, the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, men, women, body-snatchers, pod people, old, young, gray, and tattooed people, tick? Companies will do well to not cater to a specific segment. Instead, they need to establish quality values and live by them. Most of what I read about what Millennials want in their careers strike me as things that any good company with strong values, that tries to do right by their employees, would have present already.

Companies that think reading an article and implementing some Millennial-friendly policies is going to transform them into a Millenial talent attraction machine are deluding themselves. Once on board, the Millenials will see through the façade. At worst, they will feel betrayed and unfulfilled. So unless you are going to commit to wholesale changes, your success in talent attraction will be fleeting.

Start by building a company with strong values. Implement sound talent management strategies to effectively manage and develop your workforce. Focus on having a strong employer brand. Communicate your vision to prospective employees. Engage and establish clear expectations. Always be recruiting. Be a responsible employer. Listen. Observe. Be flexible.

Attraction and retention have just been achieved.

http://www.jobjenny.com/the-blog/2012/11/16/ask-the-experts-dont-send-a-resume-that-smells-like-pizza-an.html

John Lennon once sang…. All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

What I hear from most job seekers is gimme some closure.

The number one complaint candidates for jobs relate to me is that they never hear back from the companies where they interviewed. Had interviews, never heard anything. Sent my resume, never heard anything.

For employers, here is why you should acknowledge people who send resumes and call back people who have interviewed but you did not hire: people talk.

And they are talking in new ways. According to Fast Company, not only are they talking, they are taking it to social media.

http://tinyurl.com/3z2np5y

But, the reasons to reply to people are not to only protect your brand and your reputation. For one, it’s the right thing to do. Second, while the candidate may not be right for your current opening, they may be right in the future for something else with your organization. And, this is not only your brand; this is your recruitment brand. People talk and their network has heard that you, as an employer, do not treat job candidates with respect.

That network may include people you may want to hire. The candidate you did not call back may be a friend to the candidate you do want to hire. Think of the message you are giving both.

Your brand is damaged. Your ability to hire is damaged.

Do they right thing.

Give some closure.