Leadership has acquired even more emphasis in the current business climate, as it appears more and more that leaders are putting their own self-interest ahead of the organizations for which they are responsible.

What can you do to upgrade your leadership skills? Here are a few tips from business analysts John Coleman and Bill George.

One thing you can do is find a good mentor, Coleman and George say. This is very important for developing skills as a leader. A recent study showed that people who had mentors were more likely to succeed and to be happier in their careers than people who did not have mentors. When looking for a mentor, try to find someone with whom you get along well and who has your best interest at heart. And recognize that the character and values of your mentor are just as important as his or her success.

Another strategy for developing leadership skills is to form a leadership development group. This is a group of generally six to eight people who get together on a routine basis to talk about their challenges and what is important to them. It gives members of the group an opportunity to think exclusively about leadership, what defines a good leader, how good leaders face the difficulties that confront them and how good leaders have a long-term impact on their organizations.

Volunteering for a civic or service organization is another way to develop leadership skills. It gives you an opportunity to take a leadership role and to get in touch with people in the community, broadening your perspective and experience. It gives you experiences you cannot get just from work alone.

Travel also is a way to gain leadership skills, according to Coleman and George. In the age of globalization, being able to deal with people of diverse cultures has become almost a requirement of good leaders. A survey of top MBA candidates revealed that most of them had worked in at least four countries before they enrolled in graduate school, and they expected to work in several countries after they graduated.

Finally, if you want to develop your ability as a leader, you need to keep an open mind and a curiosity about the world. It’s not always about having the right answers, but in the age of information overload, about knowing what the right questions are

If you have managerial experience and want to move into a more important leadership position, contact a recruiter at Winston Resources. We can present your qualifications to some of Manhattan’s finest employers. We look forward to helping you take your career to the next level.

If you are looking for work right now, you may want to take a look at larger companies.

Recent poll results show that larger companies – those with 500 employees or more — are more likely to be hiring than smaller companies. But the survey showed that almost 75 percent of companies are doing some hiring for full-time employees.

The survey of more than 2,000 companies was conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management to gauge the ongoing impact of the recession  on companies’ hiring and their bottom line.

Most of the hiring, about 75 percent, is for levels below management — hourly and salaried positions. More than half of the businesses surveyed are hiring for management positions. About 20 percent are hiring at executive levels.

Almost three-fourths of the companies surveyed said they had lost about 10 percent of their employees or fewer in 2011. That is actually up from 2010, where about two-thirds of companies said they had lost 10 percent or fewer employees. Only about one-tenth of the companies reported laying off between 10 and 20 percent of the workforce. About one-tenth of the companies surveyed reported laying off between 20 and 50 percent of their workforce.

As far as the financial health of businesses is concerned, most reported little change from 2010 to 2011. Two-thirds said things had pretty much stayed the same or had improved a little, while the other third said they had experienced a small decline.

In 2011, a majority of companies, nearly two-thirds, indicated that they were hiring to replace people, but only about a third  are hiring for new positions. Only about one-tenth of the companies surveyed said they were adding new duties to current positions.

The survey also showed that the small companies, those with fewer than 100 employees, were most likely to be hiring for new positions.

More than half of the new positions created require new skills, along with the same kinds of skills needed in the past. About 15 percent of the new jobs created, however, require completely new sets of skills. About one-fourth of the new jobs require the same skill sets as jobs did before the recession. When a job required new skills, almost two-thirds of the companies surveyed said they had difficulty finding people to fill the positions, especially smaller companies.

When you’re looking for work, look to Winston Resources. We have connections with hundreds of New York City’s best companies – both small and large – and we can help you get your foot in the door through a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct-hire assignment. Contact us today!

Although getting laid off can be a traumatic experience, experts say you shouldn’t panic. You need to be calm and levelheaded to plan a course of action for while you are unemployed and to plan a strategy for finding another job.

There are several things you can do to help yourself get through this tough time, according to Chuck Koeber, a professor at Wichita State University.

One of the first things you should do is apply for unemployment benefits. If you wait to file, you might not get reimbursed for the time before you applied.

Many employers and unions have resources available for employees who have been laid off, such as job counseling. Check with your former employer and union to find out what they have available and how you can access them.

Labor departments, at the state or county level, also have resources for people who have been laid off, such as help centers. You should make use of these resources as well.

Have a plan, Koeber says. Draw up a written plan of action with the things you are going to do, the strategy you are going to follow, in looking for a job. And use the plan to schedule your time. Don’t just make things up as you go along. This will only extend the time it takes you to find a job, needlessly drawing out the anxiety that goes along with it. Do a self-assessment to help identify your skills and abilities. There are many sites on the internet than can help with this, such as www.jobskills.info.

Don’t shut yourself off from your family. Talk with your spouse and children about what has happened and how they feel about it. Ask for their support.

Keep an eye on your budget. You are going to have to make changes in your lifestyle. Try not to run up too much debt. Watch your credit card use. Try to stay away from using retirement funds. If you need some financial counseling, groups like the Consumer Credit Counseling Service can help.

If you are depressed, or otherwise emotionally disturbed as a result of what has happened, look for professional help. Many communities and universities offer low-cost counseling.

And don’t forget engaging the services of a staffing service such as Winston Resources. We can help you secure temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments with some of New York City’s best companies. We often find that our temporary workers eventually find regular, full-time work via a temporary assignment. Contact us today!

You are out of work and actively looking for a job. You have had an offer, but it’s something you are not thrilled about. You are way overqualified for it, and it doesn’t pay nearly as much as you had been making. What should you do?

Some would counsel passing on the offer. It is not the right fit, they would say. If you don’t like the job, you won’t be happy doing it and that will show up in your performance. Also, being hired at a lower salary level will affect future earnings and benefits.

But there are advantages to taking the job. You know the old saw, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

The fact is that with the unemployment needle stuck at more than nine percent, you never know how long you will be waiting until another offer comes along. And there is also the unfortunate reluctance on the part of many companies to even consider people who are currently unemployed. Also, the longer you remain unemployed, the more your skills deteriorate, which will in itself affect your employability.

And sometimes, taking the lower level job leads to something better, along with a better salary. You might be able to learn new skills. Also, you will meet new people, giving you the opportunity to network and find out about other positions. And being employed will make you a more attractive candidate for other job openings.

The fact is that today a steady climb up the job ladder may not be as realistic as it may have been in the past. You may find you need to make some lateral moves or even a few steps back required in order to get back on track.

Being employed also has other intangible benefits. It certainly helps your self-esteem. And it also helps if you take a different perspective on the situation – not letting yourself be defined by your job. It may be an opportunity to broaden your life, to try new things outside of work, develop new interests, to become a more well-rounded person. In short, in may help you to realize that you are more than your job, and help you to take a more balanced view of your life.

Getting employed quickly in a down market is where staffing services such as Winston Resources can be of great help. Apply with us and we could have you working quickly within temporary, temporary-to-hire and even direct-hire assignments with some of New  York City’s best companies. Contact us today!

If you are a recent college graduate, you no doubt know that now is an exceptionally tough time to enter the job market. The unemployment rate is remaining stubbornly high at more than nine percent. That means there are a lot of unemployed people looking for work. So, even experienced workers are taking entry-level positions, making it all the more difficult for those just entering the job market.

So, what can you do to increase your chances of landing an interview, to make yourself stick out from the crowd?

One thing is to make sure that you are networking. Networking is something that everyone should be doing if they are looking for work. You need to make sure you are using LinkedIn and Twitter, which are the best social media sites for professional networking.

You also should check your college’s alumni office to tap into alumni organizations to see if you can make any contacts that way. In addition, check around for any professional organizations in your field or any other business groups, such as the local chamber of commerce, that you may be able to join. Volunteering also is a good way to make connections.

Make sure your e-mail and voicemail have look and sound professional. The funny music, jokey voices or other sounds on voicemail were fun in college, but they won’t go over well with possible employers. The same is true for e-mail. Anything that is humorous or off color will not look good to possible employers. For your e-mail, your name or initials will do.

Finally, keep your expectations realistic. The job search is probably going to take a while, and it will demand just as much effort as the job itself. The salary, the job’s duties – or both! — may not be quite what you expect. But you will get to where you want to be in time.

Aim to avoid the emotional roller coaster, the highs and lows that come with good news and bad, and keep steadily working toward your goals in spite of setbacks you’ll inevitably face.

Winston Resources can help recent Manhattan-area college grads get that all-important first “post-college” job. Contact us today so that you may learn more about how our staffing service can help!

Sounds like the kind of “problem”  we all wish we have in this economy – feeling that we should decline a job offer.

Yet declining a job offer the wrong way can have an adverse impact on your career. Here’s how to decline an offer the right way.

1. Thank the hiring manager for the offer. After all, you were selected from dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants for the position. The company obviously thought very highly of you and you should be grateful and respectful Be apologetic as you decline the offer.
2. Tell the hiring manager about your decision as soon as you possibly can. Calling at 8:55 on the morning you were supposed to begin at the new company is just…well, there really are no words for how rude, immature and disrespectful calling at the last minute is. In fact, the only worse way to decline an offer would be to never tell your new boss that you’re not coming onboard (see number 3, below).
3. Actually decline the offer. Just don’t disappear. Contact the hiring manager via phone (e-mail is too impersonal) and tell him or her you’re not accepting the job. Trying to “hide” from giving this bad news by not responding to calls or e-mails shows a huge lack of professionalism. And don’t think the hiring manager won’t remember – and mention to others –  how immature, unprofessional and thoughtless you were.
4. Explain honestly your reasons for declining. If you feel you’re not really up to the position, say so. If something critical has come up (a family emergency, financial constraints, a counter offer by your current employer), let the hiring manager know.
5. Say no to the waffle. That is, be firm in your decision. Don’t be wishy-washy. Don’t decline an offer in the hopes that you’ll get a better salary and/or benefits package. Be honest and forthright. Show that you have backbone in your decisions.
6. Depending on how your conversation goes, it may be wise to write a letter explaining further about your decision. Be very complimentary to the hiring manager in this letter yet professional in your tone. You want to be seen as a competent individual with a good but considerate head on your shoulders. After all, you could very well find a position that’s perfect for you at this company at a future date and if you’ve declined the current offer well you still could take the company up on a future opportunity.

Speaking of opportunity, Winston Resources has dozens of terrific professional positions with some of New York City’s top companies. Contact us today to learn more!

Do you start projects with great gusto, work consistently for a few hours or days and then peter out as the project continues, losing interest and steam?

Many people are just like you, paying attention to the beginning of a task but ignoring its ending. We lose focus. We procrastinate, missing deadlines.

So how can we maintain our drive from the start of a project to its completion?

Researchers at the University of Chicago studied people who were working toward a goal. The researchers wanted to know if people were looking back at what they’d accomplished so far or looking forward to what they had to do. People tend to use both to motivate themselves. The researchers wanted to find out if one or the other was better.

They found that, while both ways can work, focusing too much on what we’ve completed can actually lessen our motivation because doing so can give us a feeling of a job well done too soon and so our motivation declines.

Researchers studied college students and found that the students were more apt to focus on their work if told that they still had more than half of the information to still study. Students who started slacking off had been told they had covered about half of the material.

Researchers found that the reason looking ahead helps keep us motivated is due to the fact that our brain sees the difference between the ways things are currently and how we want them to be, so it focuses on how to close the gap between them. This results in focusing our attention more on the task before us and giving it more effort.

In short, to stay motivated, think more about what the goal and now about what you’ve already accomplished.

Looking for a new job in the New York City area and needing a bit more motivation? Contact Winston Resources! We can help you get the proverbial “foot in the door” with some of Manhattan’s best employers. We look forward to hearing from you!

In business and elsewhere, we sometimes get into a situation where we find that the methods or strategy we are using aren’t working. When this happens, it is often difficult to admit failure and try something different. This has been evident with the military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, where inappropriate strategy led to cries of six more months, give it six more months!

Even when it’s clear that a plan isn’t working, we have strong inclinations against changing. Research conducted back in the 1970s helped to show why. In the study, people were asked to pick a research and development strategy for a business. They were then informed that the strategy was not working well at all. They were then asked what course of action they wanted to take – should they continue with the original plan, or try something new. The decision that was made depended mostly on who made it. If the same person who chose the original strategy made the decision, he or she usually decided to continue with the original plan. When a different person made the decision, the subject  usually decided to try something else. This showed that people were predisposed against changing course because to do so would be to admit they made a mistake.

No one likes to admit to a mistake or a bad decision, and this is even more true of an executive, someone who supposedly holds his or her job because of superior judgment about these matters, as well as the pressure executives often feel to be right. It’s also not easy because admitting to things you cannot do, or admitting that something isn’t working, is admitting to limitations, and may even be seen by some as a lack of ambition or even skill.

But good leaders know their job is to make strategy and to also make sure that the strategy is working. Part of that is determining what things they should not be doing. They know the importance of comparative advantage — that businesses, and even countries, need to look at what they do well and stick with that.

In reality, knowing what not to do or when to pull the plug on something, is not a failure of leadership – it is the exact opposite. It is effective leadership, according to business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer. When people fail to see what they cannot or should not be doing, resources get wasted, false hopes continue, and the mess persists. But to make a hardheaded evaluation of what a company’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what it can and cannot do, is something that can only help a company.

Are you a New York City area employer looking to bring in some high-level talent into your organization? Winston Resources can help. We provide top-notch workers for you within temporary, temp-to-hire or direct-hire assignments. Contact us today!

A lot of self-help books and motivational speakers have a simple message when it comes to optimism – if you believe in yourself, then you will achieve success.  But there is one problem with this little mantra, according to psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson – it’s not true.

The focus on achieving success almost effortlessly, if only you have the proper mindset, is more than false, it can be downright harmful.  It can itself lead to failure.

Halvorson is not arguing against optimism.  It is true, she says, that those who are successful are precisely the people who believe they will be successful.  Many experiments have proven so.

What Halvorson takes issue with is the idea that success, if only we believe, will come easily, that it won’t require much effort.  It’s the difference between being realistic and being naive.

Those who are optimists, but also know the reality of life, know that they are responsible for making success happen. (As basketball coach John Wooden put it, “If you don’t work, nothing else will.”)  They know that success only will come with careful planning, sustained effort, tenacity, and overcoming obstacles.  Realistic optimists know they have to prepare and work, and this work is self-reinforcing – it only gives them more confidence in their ultimate success.

But people who are unrealistic believe that all it takes is the right attitude – if you believe, it will happen, somehow magically.  They don’t believe it must be self-generated, but that optimism is enough to bring it from some external source.

Those who are realistic know that achieving success won’t be any walk in the park.  It will be tough, it will require overcoming obstacles, it will require sacrifice and effort.  Realistic optimists put in more effort, plan for how they will deal with obstacles before they come up, and persist longer in the face of adversity.

Those who are unrealistic see thoughts about difficulty and problems merely as negative thinking, something to be avoided, rather than something to embrace and contend with.  They focus only on what they want, and do not consider anything else.

Yes, you need to have a positive attitude, but you also need to have a realistic perspective on adversity.  As Halvorson says, don’t just visualize success, visualize the steps you are going to take to be successful.

Let Winston Resources help you find that next good opportunity. We have terrific temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement assignments at New York City’s best employers. Contact us today.

When you are facing a really big, complex challenge, it may look impossible to achieve. But before becoming too discouraged, the best course to take may be to break the project down into a series of small tasks, to make it more manageable. Each task then has a specific, achievable goal.

By doing this, you can reduce anxiety, make your course of action easier to figure out, and increase your chances of some quick successes along the way to your final goal, which will motivate you to keep going.

This is especially true in the business environment.  Research has shown that it is important for workers who are tackling complex problems to be able to experience success along the path to their final goal. With big, complicated projects, problems are going to arise often, and so if workers cannot experience some small achievements along the way, their morale and motivation will suffer.  So, it is important that workers be able to realize some small achievement, no matter how minor.  In fact, some business experts have argued that big, overarching goals are generally so obvious and so broad that they really don’t offer much to go on that relates to the day-to-day work to accomplish the goal.  They advise setting goals incrementally.

Even in our personal lives, setting up small goals and achieving them can be important.  We need to think about the small victories we have, not just the major ones.  An example of this involves people who are suffering from depression.  Often, their condition prevents them from following an exercise program, even though exercise has been proven to combat depression.  As a result, a goal such as working out for an hour a day can be out of reach for someone in this situation.  So, instead of trying to do everything at once, which in this case would be going to the gym, the person could break it down into more workable parts, such as taking a short walk.  Then by keeping track of the walks, and recognizing this small achievement in this way, the depressed person can build up to a workout at the gym.

These small successes are important for all of us to keep our well being on the positive side.  Studies have shown that big changes in life do not usually have effects that are lasting. But  routine boosts from our little achievements each day can have lasting effects.

Call Winston Resources when you’ve set a staffing goal of finding terrific temporary employees. We can provide your Manhattan-area company with top marketing, administrative, healthcare, IT, accounting, legal, human resources, publishing, and real estate professionals. Contact us today to learn more about how strategic staffing can help your business succeed.