ECC Hiring Solutions, LLC Receives 2011 Best of Flower Mound Award

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ECC Hiring Solutions, LLC Receives 2011 Best of Flower Mound Award

http://www.ecchiring.com/

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, September 6, 2011 -- ECC Hiring Solutions, LLC has been selected for the 2011 Best of Flower Mound Award in the Business Consulting category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)
U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce AssociationCONTACT:U.S. Commerce AssociationEmail: PublicRelations@uscaaward.comURL: http://www.uscaaward.com/

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I Do

I love the business of recruiting. I love talking with candidates and learning more about their backgrounds and career goals. I love hearing from hiring managers and listening to the vision they have for their companies. And above all, I love making a great match between the two and seeing “happily ever after” take place (or at least for the next several years).

I have to admit though, it drives me a little crazy when the commitment is not there on either side. Typically managers stay committed as long as the candidate holds up his/her end of the bargain. But candidates? Where’s the love?

As recruiters we know sometimes things can happen to prevent candidates from being able to make an interview or the start date they’ve committed to. But those occasions should be few and far between. If you, as a candidate, tell a recruiter or a manager that you can be available at a certain time for an interview, then be available. Barring emergency surgery or serious injury or death, there should be nothing preventing you from making the appointment you committed to.

Your recruiter is your friend. Granted there are a few out there just in it for the money, but most truly want to make a good match that can last for a while. But we can only do so much from our end. We will do whatever it takes to help you get the job you want, but you have to “help us help you.” No one likes to go to their manager with their tail between their legs saying their candidate has decided to quit after they’ve started a new job or they want to pull out of the running during the interview process. So what do we need from you? Try this for starters:

· Courtship takes time. If you don’t have time to dedicate to your job search, that’s ok. You won’t hurt our feelings if you say you’re not interested when we call you. We’d rather hold off until you’re ready.

· Don’t back out at the altar. If you choose to move forward with your search, then understand it requires time on your part. Managers interview during business hours, not usually during evenings and weekends (they have families, too, you know.) Give us times you can commit to interviews and avoid cancelling at the last minute (this includes phone interviews).

· Don’t expect your partner to change. We understand sometimes you may feel the job requires additional compensation should you discover the responsibilities have increased from your original conversation. But $10K worth? Not usually. There’s a budget for every job opportunity that often can’t be changed. Renegotiating after you’ve committed to a range doesn’t typically bode well with managers and could cost you the job entirely.

· Till death do us part. OK, maybe not death, but at least stick with it for a while. Everyone knows the first months of every relationship can be tricky, but it’s after you get to really know one another that things get good. Hang in there. Loyalty is a great trait to have.

Commitment to a new job may not be as crucial as commitment to a spouse, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Take it seriously and it could end up being one of the best relationships you’ve ever had.

There’s No Crying in Business!

I just read a good blog about crying at work, specifically as it relates to HR personnel crying/being sad when they have to let people go (http://hrringleader.com/2010/11/03/crying-at-work/). It basically said some people with firing authority are more emotional than others, but it all boils down to personalities.

But what about employees who cry over general management direction? How does that affect their managers and what can/should be done about it? I remember one woman who worked for me years ago who would cry whenever she received any type of constructive criticism – regardless of how delicately it was delivered. Since I was training her and her supervisor, it became a point of frustration for me because I felt I couldn’t provide direction without the water works starting up.

Now I’m a pretty nice, tactful person. I have a heart – I promise. And I’ve been in management long enough to have built up decent soft skills, so I can deliver just about any message in a professional, tactful way. But when you have employees who are extremely sensitive to direction, how do you handle it?

If you’re in management, hopefully part of the reason is you like helping people. So when you see someone more junior than yourself who needs a little career advice, is it your job to try to help them along? I personally think so. The catch is, not everyone will like it.

Working in a professional environment means this: be professional. Now I’m not talking about someone going through a really difficult time who sheds a few tears, I’m talking about people who boo-hoo at the drop of a hat. If you are the “cryer” please realize that although you may feel emotional about something, it’s not appropriate to constantly break down in the office. It distracts others and makes them feel uncomfortable. Excuse yourself and take a walk down the hall or outside until you can pull yourself together. You’ll be glad you did.

So what about my tearful employee? I finally sought advice from one of my mentors who suggested this: “Whenever she starts crying, tell her, ‘I can see you’re upset, so let’s take a 10 minute break and then we’ll meet here again to continue.’ Then get up and walk out.” It worked like a charm.

Getting Back in the Saddle

My grandpa’s funeral was rough. Not in the “we had it on a prairie with a storm brewing” rough, more in when it actually hit home for me. He was cremated and as a World War II veteran, the Navy had two servicemen who did the flag ceremony and presented the American flag to my grandma. It was very touching and the meaning really registered when you saw how important this was to my grandma. “On behalf of the President of the United States and the Navy, we thank your husband for his dedication and service to our country. And we are truly sorry for your great loss.” It meant a lot.

The brutal side was when the marble slab was laid aside and an empty space was made bare for my grandpa. Later there would be a plaque with his name and time on this earth that would forever immortalize him to church goers out in the courtyard. I hadn’t shed a tear until we said our last goodbyes, and when we kissed our fingers and laid them on the small golden box where Grandpa’s ashes lay, it all came out. We lived for 26 years in Texas, and they lived in Michigan, but we have great memories in the way of phone calls, emails and cards. Some visits, but not enough.

Very tough thing for us to go through, and yet, what about Grandma? How does she move forward when her husband and best friend for 62 years was no longer by her side? How, when every action, every morning day rings with the memories of a life broken by cancer? How does one move on from that?

Grief hits everyone in different ways. Whether it be a lost loved one, a lost opportunity, or even a lost sense of self. We all handle it in different ways, but one thing is certain: Life goes on and we must, too.

From a business perspective, an example could be losing a long time customer or a new technology makes our once great product obsolete. When it comes to things like that, how do you let go, move on and make the changes required to get ahead?

Sure, I could give you the old “put one foot in front of the other” cliché, but that would do a disservice to my Grandma and to you. So, when it comes to business at least, here are some key points you should consider to get moving in the right direction (another cliché?):

• Recognize the success of the past. It is perfectly acceptable to reminisce about the good old days and how great you had it. Go ahead, but just know there has to be a stopping point when it comes to grief, regardless of what capacity it comes in.

• Identify the key factors that were successful. Call this “Thinking Time” or “Lonely time” as I like to say. Why was your product successful? Was it product quality, marketing/promotions, industry leadership, research and development, team dynamics, advertising, bonus and incentives, or a combination? What were the top five areas (these are the ones that help with the next step)?

• What do we do next? Now let’s use our strengths we’ve identified to determine the next course of action. Oftentimes, we tend to focus only on what went wrong. While it is good to minimize mistakes in the future, it’s not so good in determining a course of action focused on your best foot forward. Spend time identifying 5 key focus areas over the next 30, 60 and 90 days to get you on track. List 3 activities, max, per focus area that are measurable and can be used to track progress. Remember – you want to move forward quickly and efficiently.

• Laser focus. I cannot stress the importance of staying focused on the task at hand. With everyone’s busy lives, it is easy to get sidetracked. Assign accountability and ownership, then have weekly meetings tracking progress, changing course when you need to, and making key decisions. Keep your eye on the ball!

• Finally, celebrate your new success. It is important to recognize a job well done, so do it right. Give your team a bonus, take the team and their significant others to dinner, hand out awards, promote deserving leaders, etc. Everyone likes a pat on the back, and being recognized for a job well done is vitally important.

As I’ve said before, my grandpa gave me a lot of sage advice and wisdom over the years, and I feel it’s something worth passing on.

So Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want

My new favorite show is House Hunters International. My poor husband has seen more episodes than he’d care to admit (I love you, Honey!). Since I rarely get out of the country, it allows me to live through others and learn about incredible places in the world. Sure, places like Rome and the Caribbean are big draws, but Portugal?? Granted, as I mentioned, I don’t get out much, but who knew?! (Note to anyone Portuguese: no offense was meant here. I’m just seriously clueless when it comes to Portugal.)

In case you haven’t seen it, the premise is potential home buyers provide criteria to a realtor, who in turn shows them three properties, from which they choose one. What I find interesting about the show however, is that often the realtors ignore some of the criteria provided to them by the potential home buyers. They say they want three bedrooms or close to the beach? They get shown one or two that way, but also one that’s two bedrooms half an hour from the beach. Granted that’s not always the case, but it happens more often that you would expect. Sometimes the buyer loves it and purchases the home, other times they stick with what they originally wanted.

So here’s my question: as recruiters/client executives, do we focus only on what our customer tells us they want or do we go outside their prerequisites and show them what we think they might want? And how many times have we personally thought we wanted something, only later to discover it’s not at all what we want?

My favorite House Hunters episodes are ones where the buyer goes with a home that will need a total renovation. Those are the ones where someone can dream big and incorporate changes they want, versus living with someone else’s dream. When it comes to jobs, shouldn’t it be the same way? There truly aren’t any perfect roles or companies or people out there, so if you’re a manager looking for a new employee, why not be a little more flexible when it comes to the job requirements and look for GREAT candidates vs. PERFECT candidates? If you’re a recruiter, talk with candidates and help them come up with realistic expectations based on the current market. And if you’re a job seeker, start looking outside of your criteria, and at something you can ultimately customize to your own liking. Or, better yet, before you jump ship, see what you can do to make your current job better.

Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s from running my own business and being able to call the shots, but I believe you can really get what you want out of life. Whether it is for business or personal reasons, if you’re realistic and can dream big, you just might achieve the goals you have for yourself. What can you do today to set things in motion?

American Lung Association Names Steve Conwell Volunteer of the Week

Steve Conwell is a salesman with a mission. Imagine the surprise on the faces of clients who, instead of the usual sales pitch, receive information on the importance of the mission of the American Lung Association. He still makes the ask on behalf of his company but he also makes an ask on behalf of the Lung Association. He first questions clients about how they are involved in the community and then tells them about his work with the association.

According to Peggy Nolan, the association’s Regional Vice President, Resource Development in Dallas/Fort Worth, “Steve is a networking giant. At every networking session he attends, everyone in the room knows of his involvement with the ALA, and he will try to get each of them connected to our mission.”

Steve’s personal mission is to make the Dallas Leadership Council as strong as possible. He works very hard to get the right people on the council in order to accomplish the association’s goals. Under his direction, the Dallas Leadership Council has increased not only in size but in stature. He has helped to identify the needs of the Council in terms of diversity and areas of expertise and leadership.

He is committed to furthering the mission through funding research, raising awareness, and producing quality events. He leads by example, being the first volunteer to sign up for everything. He works shoulder to shoulder with volunteers and staff, making calls and carrying out any assignment given.

Steve’s consistent commitment to the American Lung Association is personal. His sister-in-law struggles with asthma and both of his wife’s grandfathers lost their lives to lung disease. The Asthma Walk became the launching point for Steve’s participation. He wears many hats including Dallas Leadership Council Chair, Dallas Fight for Air Climb Committee, and he represents the association at Clean Air meetings around the area. Peggy Nolan says, “As a volunteer, Steve Conwell gets it and runs with it.”

http://www.lungusa.org/get-involved/volunteer/this-weeks-volunteer/

The 10 Most Unwanted List

Do you like your coworkers? Do they like you? Obviously no one will get along with everyone on the planet, but TRYING to get along with others really is a soft skill that is worth its weight in gold.

Getting along with the people you work with is critical, especially if you’re in tight quarters. If you’re the “loud talker” in the office, for example, and you’re in a cube environment, your peers will probably not only dislike you, but complain about you behind your back. There are tons of traits that people have that grate on other people’s nerves, even if that person doesn’t mean it in a bad way. Here are some qualities you DON’T want to have:

1. The Mooch. If you forget to bring something to work and ask to borrow from someone, they probably won’t mind. Just pay them back or return the favor. But do this every week? You’re a mooch. Be more responsible and bring your own stuff.

2. The Brown-Noser/Kiss-Up. Everyone recognizes when someone is brown-nosing (buttering up the boss to get what you want), and as far as I can tell, no one likes it, including the boss. Don’t you brown-nosers know that? If not, now you do.

3. The Idea Thief. When you hear someone else’s great idea, tell them congratulations, but don’t steal it as your own. Better yet, give them credit in a meeting or in front of their boss. If someone keeps stealing your ideas and “impressing” the boss with them, it’s a tricky situation to get the credit you deserve. I would suggest keeping your ideas to yourself until you can present them to the boss directly.

4. The Know-It-All. No matter what you say, they always have more “insight” to add and consistently project an air of superiority. There are multiple ways to address this, but unfortunately none that I can think of that are nice. If you have ideas, I’d welcome them.

5. The Procrastinator. These are folks who wait until the last possible minute to get their project done. Or worse, they consistently miss deadlines that impact you or your work, forcing you to pick up the slack. If you work on your own, maybe it doesn’t matter, but if you’re in a team environment, you are causing unnecessary stress on others. Don’t we have enough stress in the world already without adding to it?

6. The Intimidator. I wrote a blog about this, but bullies in the workplace are common and totally unacceptable all at the same time. Just like your parents told you not to take it growing up, don’t take it now either. (Middle School All Over Again)

7. The Gossiper. I know no man is an island and you have to interact with others, but do you really have to become their best friend and tell each other secrets? Anyone remember Bill Rancic from The Apprentice, season one? I believe part of the reason he won was he didn’t get involved with all the gossip and pettiness. And remember: If you’re hearing the “gossip news” about a coworker, you can be sure they’re talking behind your back, too.

8. The Slacker. You know who I’m talking about. The same people who sat back and let others do their work all through school and seem to think they can continue that pattern. Stop being lazy and “Get ‘er done!” And bosses, yes you – be consistent with your performance reviews and address this behavioral issue. 360 degree feedback reviews will catch slackers, too.

9. The Whiner. My thoughts on this? Don’t complain about something unless you have a solution. Period.

10. The Rule Breaker. I’m a rule follower, which is a bit ironic if you knew about my teenage years. However, I do believe there are times when there are other ways of doing things that can work better. The catch is why you’re breaking the rules. If it’s because you think you’re above the rules, you will earn enemies and earn them fast.

Basically if you remember the Golden Rule and treat others as you would like to be treated, you will be a shining star in your organization and not the person everyone dreads being around.