The Top Jobs for 2013

Struggling to find a job? If you’re an accountant, computer systems analyst or event coordinator, there’s a good chance your luck will change in 2013.

These three professions are among the best jobs that require a bachelor’s degree for 2013, according to a new study byCareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI).

The study used EMSI’s rich labor market database, which pulls from over 90 national and state employment resources and includes detailed information on employees and self-employed workers, to find the 18 top jobs for 2013, based on the occupations with the most jobs added since 2010.

“The list identifies occupations that are on an upward trajectory regarding employment,” says Matt Ferguson, chief executive of CareerBuilder. “Job seekers can gain insights into where companies are expanding and opportunities that are available.”The occupation that has produced the most jobs post-recession: Software developer (applications and systems software). Since 2010, 70,872 jobs have been added (7% growth).

Why? “Companies are competing to get to market first with innovations that will create new revenue streams,” Ferguson says. “They want to capitalize on mobile technologies and social media.  They want to extract, parse and apply Big Data to bring better solutions to their clients and their own businesses. They need technologists in place who can devise bigger and better strategies, and execute.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most software developers work for computer systems design and related services firms or software publishers. Others work in computer and electronic product manufacturing industries. They typically have a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

The average pay for these professionals is $90,530 a year, and the BLS expects a 30% increase in the number of software developers by 2020 (from 2010).

More On Forbes: The Easiest And Hardest Cities For Finding A Job

In the No. 2 spot is accountants and auditors. These professionals prepare and examine financial records, and ensure that taxes are paid properly and on time. Over 37,100 jobs have been added since 2010 (a 3% increase).

Most employers require an accountant or auditor job candidate to have a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field, and others will want the candidate to be certified within a specific field, according to the BLS. These professionals make $61,690, on average, per year.

The third best job for 2013: Market research analysts and marketing specialists. The profession has added 31,335 jobs since 2010, which is a 10% increase. According to the BLS, they earn about $60,570 a year, on average. The profession is expected to grow 41% by 2020 (from 2010).

What do they do? Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand the marketplace; what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price. Strong math and analytical skills are typically required, as well as a bachelor’s degree. Top research positions often require a master’s, according to the BLS.

Elsewhere on the list: Computer systems analysts (No. 4), mechanical engineers (No. 9), and database administrators (No. 15).

“Technology and engineering roles make up the majority of the top ten positions, indicative of the continued and heightened investments companies are making in these areas,” Ferguson says. “You also see growth in production-related jobs as U.S. manufacturing rallies after experiencing significant losses during the recession. There is also strong demand for sales and marketing roles as companies look to grow revenue and extend their visibility and reach. Finally, there are more jobs supporting overall business operations as the economy improves.”

Occupations requiring a bachelor’s degrees that have produced the most jobs post-recession include:

No. 1 Software Developers (Applications and Systems Software)

70,872 jobs added since 2010, 7% growth

No. 2 Accountants and Auditors37,123 jobs added since 2010, 3% growth

No. 3 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

31,335 jobs added since 2010, 10% growth

No. 4 Computer Systems Analysts

26,937 jobs added since 2010, 5% growth

No. 5 Human Resources, Training and Labor Relations Specialists

22,773 jobs added since 2010, 5% growth

No. 6 Network and Computer Systems Administrators

18,626 jobs added since 2010, 5% growth

No. 7 Sales Representatives (Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific)

17,405 jobs added since 2010, 4% growth

No. 8 Information Security Analysts, Web Developers and Computer Network Architects

15,715 jobs added since 2010, 5% growth

No. 9 Mechanical Engineers

13,847 jobs added since 2010, 6% growth

No. 10 Industrial Engineers

12,269 jobs added since 2010, 6% growth

No. 11 Computer Programmers

11,540 jobs added since 2010, 3% growth

No. 12 Financial Analysts

10,016 jobs added since 2010, 4% growth

No. 13 Public Relations Specialists

8,541 jobs added since 2010, 4% growth

No. 14 Logisticians

8,522 jobs added since 2010, 8% growth

No. 15 Database Administrators

7,468 jobs added since 2010, 7% growth

No. 16 Meeting, Convention  and Event Planners

7,072 jobs added since 2010, 10% growth

No. 17 Cost Estimators

6,781 jobs added since 2010, 3% growth

No. 18 Personal Financial Advisors

5,212 jobs added since 2010, 3% growth

Using Analytics to Prevent Next Major Crisis?

Analytics – the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data – have demonstrated significant potential to improve corporate performance.  The business discipline of analytics has not yet reached full maturity, but the opportunity for analytics to help manage and mitigate risks is quite clear.   This is particularly important to the financial services industry, which is highly data intensive, and rapidly changing – requiring better capabilities for identifying, predicting and mitigating risks. 

To better understand what sort of progress companies have made in using risk analytics, we recently completed a global study capturing and synthesizing the insights from more than 450 risk management analytics professionals in three industries to examine how they use risk analytics to tackle industry challenges and market volatility.

The study was intended to assess companies’ current level of risk analytics maturity—their quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques designed to estimate the impact and frequency of specific risks, as well as their ability to use analytics to drive business outcomes and proactively manage risks and rewards. For banks, an outcome-based approach would manifest itself, for example, in the manner in which analytics is embedded in outputs such as pricing and performance management.

Across the industries we studied, banking is predicting the greatest increase in risk analytics investments, with 73 percent of banking respondents foreseeing more than a 10 percent rise in expenditure. In terms of specific capabilities, risk analytics spending is expected to increase most in areas of data quality and sourcing, systems integration and modeling. Risk analytics leaders in banking also invest at higher levels than leaders in other industries.

Banks are hoping to address specific business needs through these investments in risk analytics.  One important goal is to improve credit performance and reduce credit costs. The percentage of nonperforming loans is still unacceptably high for most banks, and risk analytics offers the promise of reducing the number of bad loans and lowering costs by reducing capital and letting go of overly risky customers in addition to non-profitable accounts. With advanced risk analytics capabilities, banks can, for example, identify characteristics and trends of non-performing loans and take proactive steps with the counterparties to address issues or even refinance or restructure deals before more serious problems arise.Banks also are looking to better understand the risks in their portfolio. The high concentration of mortgage investments in their portfolios has banks looking to increase their ability to analyze how their portfolios line up with their risk framework and current risk tolerances.

Regulation is another important factor pushing banks toward greater investment in analytics capabilities to better manage areas such as liquidity positions, evolving liquidity measurement techniques, counterparty credit risk, credit valuation adjustments and integrating these into capital stress testing. Analytics show promise of helping banks anticipate some of the unintended consequences of regulation. For example, requirements of increased capital can result in restricted lending, or limits on proprietary trading levels may result in lower liquidity in key bond markets, neither of which is desirable. Scenario analysis and modeling can help banks deal more proactively with such consequences by helping to assess the impact of different circumstances and responses.

In addition to financial risk factors, banks are also incorporating into their risk models effects of various world events and external factors—environmental, political and financial. In an increasingly connected world, natural and industrial disasters, as well as political crises, have generated waves of impact on many regions of the world. These multiple interrelations create complexity that makes effective risk modeling difficult.

However, developing effective risk analytics isn’t as simple as buying software off the shelf.  Our research indicated that banks face five key challenges in improving their risk analytics capabilities:

• Integrating analytics and insights across multiple data sources, linking non-integrated divisions and functions.
• Harvesting and managing data across the enterprise, due in part to ineffective data governance, poor data quality and insufficient data integrity.
• Lagging analytics technologies, with companies not yet reaping the full benefit of IT advancements.
• Lack of expertise and skilled resources, leading to delays and project overruns.
• Inability to communicate results and insights effectively.

Risk analytics is increasingly important for banks as they cope with a complex regulatory and competitive environment and our research indicates that banks are clearly committed to improving their analytics technologies, tools and teams. At the same time, banks face significant challenges —particularly in the areas of skills, data and integrated approaches—that need to be addressed before risk analytics can fulfill its promise.  The effort is worthwhile however as those banks which address these challenges effectively can employ risk analytics, not only to identify and mitigate risk, but to provide competitive differentiation in this difficult environment.

Supply Chain Risk a Hidden Liability for Many Companies

Global supply chains can increase efficiency, but they can also increase risk. Recent events—including the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the floods in Thailand and the ash clouds caused by the Icelandic volcano—have demonstrated how far the consequences of such risks can extend. The Japanese earthquake, for example, severely affected global electronics production and led to extended business disruptions for the automotive industry.

The Thai flooding created significant shortages in the hard disk drive market that generated millions of dollars of losses for well-known electronics manufacturers. In addition to these headline events, however, the nature of supply chain risk is constantly changing. New risks and new vulnerabilities can often be better addressed if given close attention from management.

The fragility of global supply chains is related to emerging risks, but is also related to supply and network design strategies.  The integration of risk management into supply chain management has often been limited, especially for organizations that have focused on reducing costs and limiting working capital levels as a response to difficult market conditions.   Increasingly however, many companies are re-establishing the balance between risk and cost focus as they manage their global supply chain.

To address these risks, companies should consider their operating models, in an effort designed to define an optimum balance between financial efficiency and assuredness of a stable supply chain.    Companies that once maintained backup inventory and manufacturing facilities may have exposed themselves to risk as they concentrated on working with fewer redundancies, using the “Kaizen” model calling for “just in time” or even “just in sequence” production with minimal in-process inventories;  geographic and operational concentration of assembly and parts production; and a high level of subcontracting.

Many companies have switched from “local” suppliers to “low cost” (and often distant) suppliers on the basis of cost, without considering the full cost of risks associated with these changes.   As a result, the extended supply chain now has many additional points of potential failure, suggesting that new approaches to risk management can be beneficial.  Many companies face increased exposures and potentially costly logistics lead times for critical products if unforeseen events emerge – as they seemingly will.

We see six key steps that should be given consideration in assessing and managing supply chain risk:

1.      Look at the whole, not just the parts. Some companies tend to look at risk in individual parts such as procurement, logistics, distribution or manufacturing. Many risks, however, can be managed across the supply chain network. Because of the systemic nature of supply chain risks, a problem in one area can easily affect the entire supply chain and the entire organization.

2.     Review the governance of the organization’s risks.  The risk function is too often focused on reporting risks that are well known within operating units, with less ability to ensure that the scope of risks under consideration is adequate and includes less obvious risks that could have a much higher impact. These risks can encompass the entire supply chain and include business continuity, creditworthiness of suppliers, currency risk, commodity volatility, supply chain integrity, political risks and a number of other operational risks.

3.     Review current operating models.  This entails an in-depth analysis of the risks embedded into a company’s operating model, along with a review of all procedures and controls intended to manage those risks. Typical steps include a systematic review of the supply chain risk inventory, the identification of critical single points of failure in the organization, and the quantification of the financial impact those key risks can generate.

4.     Integrate risk management into operations planning and management, both in terms of functions and workflow.  The risk function is typically “headquarters-centric” and does not provide input into the daily decision-making process for operations.  Changes in the organizational set-up may be needed to foster an environment in which risk management flows into key supply chain decisions.

5.     Use a financial modeling capability for the supply chain.  Using advanced supply chain modeling tools can help gauge the financial impact of supply volatility on supply chain economics; can analyze the impact of product and service demand volatility; and can measure the impact that launching a new product or entering a new market can have on long-term production capacity.    Such tools can also quantify the cost of operational disruptions and balance the distribution of risk between the company and its customers, suppliers and joint venture partners.

6.     Improve risk reporting and monitoring.  Performance management systems such as dashboards and scoring models are in greater use for areas such as supplier solvency or supplier quality management.

Volatility and uncertainty are not going away anytime soon.    Risk-based, cost-effective supply chain management can be an essential element of success.  This capability can not only help prevent losses but also can prove, for many companies, to be a lasting source of competitive advantage.

Risk Management Can Stimulate, Rather than Deter, Innovation

Innovation and risk management seemingly do not naturally go hand-in-hand in many peoples’ minds – although we would argue that it should.  Wouter Koetzier, who leads Accenture’s Innovation and Product Development consulting group,  and I have been exploring the benefits of better connecting the two functions and as a result, Wouter is contributing to this column.

What we have observed is that many people think a typical start-up – with its highly independent and empowered teams, agile development, minimal controls and executives who need to gain market share and have less to lose – is the ideal incubator for innovation. The opposite case could be made for a large organization, with a carefully structured risk management function.

In our experience however, it doesn’t have to be that way – nor is it.  We increasingly see innovation and risk management being viewed as partners, not adversaries.   When properly fused, the two disciplines can help organizations pursue opportunities that a risk-averse culture might leave on the cutting room floor.  Risk management can help foster a company’s innovation agenda by revealing blind spots and areas of underinvestment that threaten the upside of a company’s future. 

Many companies have established “stage gates”, essentially a funneling process designed to reduce uncertainty as exposure to risk grows.  In many cases, however, the stage gating process is too focused on re-enforcing what the company does well today and the funnels end up producing only weak, incremental ideas that come to market slowly and lack emphasis on new areas for expansion.  Without a strong link to risk management capabilities, stage gates often become risk averse and weed out big ideas in favor of small ones.  Decision-making bodies may send back proposals for additional research and work, creating time-consuming, creativity-numbing rework loops – as opposed to getting early insight on how potential challenges can be addressed to give confidence to the idea. 

Ironically, another common impediment to innovation is an existing corporate culture that overly celebrates and rewards success.   In these cultures, it is rare to find someone who has been able to rise in the ranks with a failed experiment on his or her resume, even if the failure provided valuable insights about future opportunities.Venture capital firms – typically designed to manage risk and encourage innovation – can provide some important lessons for large organizations seeking to advance the cause of innovation.   These firms typically create a portfolio of investments and engage with the management team through the development process regarding new insights and unanticipated opportunities resulting from new learnings in the process.  These firms also know in advance that most experiments will fail. 

We see organizations apply three key principles to their work to get a better balance of risk and innovation:

1. Flexibility.  Rather than placing all their bets on one or two experiments, companies may want to consider building a portfolio of early innovation investments that act as options.  Monsanto – number ten on the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most innovative companies – realized early  on that genetic modifications could become very important to its seed business.  To mitigate risks, Monsanto developed a portfolio of experiments, first investing in biotechnology companies, then opening its Life Science Research Center which ultimately came to house more than a thousand employees.  In a 2012 presentation to investors, Monsanto’s Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley described this approach as “growth layers” for the company’s R&D pipeline.   
   Advanced analytics and other sophisticated risk management tools can guide such complicated decisions by regularly assessing value against multiple variables and scenarios.    This support can include risk methodologies and tools designed to measure both positive and negative uncertainty and provide realistic estimates of results.  Risk scenario analysis can also simulate results and provide better operational flexibility. 
2. Speed.   Successful innovation often requires speed.  Companies can use rapid experimentation and agile development to increase their chances of filling their innovation portfolios with new products and extensions.    An iterative approach that is closely linked to customers and markets can draw attention to risks and integrate them into decision-making.    In a high-speed environment, effective risk management often encourages risk-taking within the bounds of a company’s risk appetite.    Risk management can, and should, facilitate companywide dialogue to determine which risks are acceptable, which aren’t, and how much risk is appropriate based on potential returns.
3. Control.   Venture capital firms use controls, but these controls typically are designed to increase risk tolerance, fostering a culture that embraces the logic of intelligent mistakes.   Innovative companies often create a safe ground for experiments, “safe” because risks are controlled, managed and measured.    This typically entails bringing together the finance and operating sides of the business.  To the finance side, risk is often something to avoid or mitigate, while operations often sees risk as inherent and necessary for growth.    Effective risk governance can bridge these two viewpoints, translating strategic challenges into specific risks to take and providing rules, parameters and measurements to guide both the investments and the process. 

Many of the companies we talk to are focused on growth strategies and their associated risks.  Programs designed to accelerate innovation are becoming more common, in part, because successful innovation can be a cure for many of the risks companies face.  The new and higher regard for risk management reflects its potential to provide controls in complex business environments.    

Risk management can, in fact, add a level of discipline and transparency to the innovation process, while supporting desired risk culture and appetite.    Marrying risk management and innovation can boost innovation efforts by creating confidence that innovation bets are well-placed and that innovation risks are well-managed.

The Best Big Companies For Work-Life Balance

Juggling the demands of a career and personal life is no easy feat. In fact, maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle became especially difficult during the recession when employees were expected to do more with less–and even as things improve, the challenges persist.

Job search engine Indeed.com identified 25 of the biggest and brightest corporations that are going the extra mile to help employees achieve the elusive “work-life balance.”

To be considered for the list, each company had to have a minimum of 100 reviews on Indeed.com, and at least 1,000 employees (though most have a workforce that exceeds 10,000). This list excludes franchises, staffing firms, and government companies—but it does include international firms with over 100 jobs in the United States.

“Especially during the summer months, work-life balance is top of mind for employees,” says Mike Steinerd, director of recruiting at Indeed. “While some employees are headed off to enjoy a beach weekend, others have a hard time ignoring work emails [on their days off]. Work-life balance feeds passion for the workplace and contributes to a better overall work environment and morale. When there is a separation of church and state – meaning personal and professional life – employees feel more appreciated. In turn, they are happier, more committed, more productive, and therefore will likely stay with the company for a longer period of time.”

Colgate-Palmolive tops Indeed’s list of the 25 best big companies for work-life balance. Founded in 1806, the New York-based consumer products giant currently employs over 35,000 workers.“Work-life balance is often dependent on efficiency and professionalism; when management and employees are dedicated to their jobs and work hard during business hours, it gives them the flexibility to maintain a healthy personal life,” Steinerd says. “Past and present employees comment on the Colgate-Palmolive employer review page noting that management sets realistic expectations for employees, promotes time management skills and clearly communicates. In addition, Colgate-Palmolive offers some great benefits, such as flexible work hours, telecommute options, and nearby back-up childcare centers, which is a nice perk for work-at-home parents. As a result, Colgate-Palmolive has a high rate of employee retention, which is a testament to their culture.”

Wegmans, a major regional supermarket chain and one of the largest private companies in the U.S., ranks second on the list of the best big companies for work-life balance. Founded in 1916 in Rochester, Wegmans currently operates 81 stores (46 in New York State, 15 in Pennsylvania, 7 in New Jersey, 6 in Virginia, 6 in Maryland and 1 in Massachusetts), and employs over 44,000 people.

“Wegmans is a family-owned business, where management works to make employees feel independent and valuable,” Steinerd explains. “Wegmans has a reputation for working with part-time employees who are still students to create flexible schedules. The typical workday is fun and energetic, and employees develop great relationships with one another, which supports the overall feeling of family.”

Rounding out the top three is Coldwell Banker, one of the oldest residential real estate franchise systems in North America. Founded in San Francisco in 1906, the New Jersey-based company currently employs 82,000 agents worldwide.

“Real estate is a unique industry because employees often have the freedom to create their own hours, and Coldwell Banker is no exception,” Steinerd says. “Employees have characterized the company environment as having a ‘work-hard-play-hard’ type of attitude. For those people who are self-starters and independent workers, this is a great company.”

Steinerd says many of the companies on the list provide flexible work schedules and focus on teamwork. “Overall, the work environments tend to be friendly and the employees are determined to succeed, and there is the right balance of quality and quantity of work to be fulfilling.”

For example, Walt Disney is recognized for their focus on training and team building, as well as the happiness of their employees, Steinerd says. And Google is known for “promoting flexible schedules and personal and professional balance, where employees learn how to manage their time, multitask and collaborate.”

“We’re seeing more and more that work-life balance is playing a key role in how employers are attracting top-talent,” he adds. “Salary isn’t the only factor a potential employee is going to consider when they receive a job offer; they are often doing research on the company culture, looking at employer reviews and chatting with past or current employees. This is a growing trend we are noticing, so it’s important that employers create workplaces that foster work-life balance. This list showcases those companies that, according to previous or current employees, got it right.”

Other big companies that made the list: Johnson & Johnson, Motorola, Ford, and American Express.

Here are a few things that those who didn’t make the cut can do to offer their employees better work-life balance:

• Ensure there is adequate vacation coverage, Steinerd says. “Too many employees take vacation but continue to work. Companies can either cross-train employees or ensure that managers within all departments are adequately covering the workload so employees can truly enjoy their vacations.”
• Offer flex-time, such as the ability to come in later or leave earlier to drop kids off or pick them up from daycare or other activities, such a sports practices, he says.
• Help employees work more efficiently, “which in turn prevents them from taking work home, and therefore allows them to enjoy time outside of the office.”
• Offer tuition reimbursement and/or a program that allows employees to take the necessary time off for classes.
• Ensure departments are adequately staffed to prevent employees from becoming overworked, Steinerd says.
• Provide on-site child care or develop programs that allow “new” moms and dads to work part-time (or work share with other employees) during their child’s early pre-school years.
• Provide, or increase, paternity leave, he says.
• Offer perks and luxuries like gym memberships and on-site dry cleaning pick-up and delivery services to make your employees’ lives a little bit easier.

How To Brag At Work (Without Sounding Like A Jerk)

When it comes to having a successful career, there is no substitute for hard work. But on the other hand, hard work won’t do you any good if your accomplishments are going unnoticed.

If you’re anything like me, you probably believe your work should speak for itself, and that the idea of tooting your own horn sounds, well, obnoxious. But waiting around hoping your good work will catch the boss’s eye could be preventing you from getting the recognition—and possibly the promotions—you deserve at work.

But how do you let people know about your good work without sounding like a jerk? Here are a few techniques I’ve found successful.

Track Your Successes

If someone were to ask you, “What did you do this month at work that you are most proud of?” would you be able to answer? Maybe not—it’s very easy to get stuck in the day-to-day grind of work and forget to take note of all the great things you do for the company.So, make a plan for how you’re going to stay on top of them. While this won’t necessarily get your successes noticed, it will help you be more aware of them so you can know what to share with other people. Try one of these systems to get started:

• Set quarterly goals and check your progress monthly. This is my preferred method—I find it helpful to lay out ahead of time what I want to achieve so I can measure my success against those goals. This will make sure you have clear benchmarks to track and milestones to celebrate.
• Start a career journal, and at the end of every day, quickly jot down what went well and what you’re looking forward to tackling tomorrow. Capture your day-to-day successes, while also keeping your progress in the context of larger projects and how you’re helping your organization move forward.
• Take a look at your job description. For each duty, say to yourself, “I know I am doing this well because…” and list a specific example that illustrates your success. If you’re hoping to move up in the company, you can also do this exercise with the job description of the title you want.

Add Accomplishments to Your Meeting Agenda

Next time you meet with your boss, add an “Accomplishments” section to the meeting agenda. This might sound obvious, but it has been a powerful way for me to make sure I let my bosses know when something has gone extraordinarily well (without feeling like I am bombarding them with random cheers for myself).

I usually frame this in terms of progress on a major project and how it affects the organization overall, then I mention anything specifically that I did (my community-then-individual method of sharing good news). For example, “The new site launched successfully this week. Jessica and Mark were really helpful in ensuring the content was good to go, and we’re getting great feedback from our audience! To get extra eyes on our work, I was able to secure syndication partnership with ABC Magazine, which has brought in additional traffic.”

Not only is this a good way to keep yourself accountable for reporting your successes, it’s great to set the expectation that you’re achieving great things and that you want your boss to hear about them. Nothing beats having someone look forward to hearing about your great work.

Volunteer Your Expertise

One of the best ways to establish your contribution as an employee is by helping your co-workers solve problems. So, when you notice an ongoing problem or challenge that’s related to something you’re good at, offer your services. Don’t just volunteer for anything, but offer to help in an area where you can demonstrate your excellence at a time when it’s clear your talent is needed.

For example, at my company, Idealist, we’re trying to figure out how to better support organizations that use our site to post jobs. I work on the job seeker end, and realized that there could be ways to make a stronger connection between those two audiences. I offered to help brainstorm ideas with the project lead, who in turn suggested my involvement and expertise to the executive director. Win!

In short, let other folks talk about how helpful and smart you are. In other words, let them do the bragging for you.

Tackle Low-Hanging Social Fruit

There’s no need to share your accomplishments solely with your co-workers—you can also leverage social media to share your successes and build your brand. LinkedIn is made for this—you can list your projects and any key achievements you’ve had your various jobs, making it easy for others to see all you’ve done.

Meanwhile, Twitter and Facebook are perfect for mastering the fine art of the #humblebrag, à la, “It’s not easy raising $20,000 in a year, but someone’s gotta do it!” Or, forget being humble and just enjoy the semi-removed nature of sharing good news online. Go on. Try it now and see how many people support you, want to connect with you, and begin suggesting other great opportunities and resources to help you rock your career.

The important thing to consider when sharing any accomplishment is to focus on celebrating your success in the context of your company, career, and professional growth, rather than making it sound like you think you’re better than others. Because, well, that would be bragging.

'70% Disengagement' - 3 Ways To Engage Those Who Aren't

The latest numbers from Gallup’s survey of 150,000 workers are in:

Fewer than 1 in 3 (30%) American workers are committed to the success of their organization and are engaged in their work. Over half (52%) are ‘disengaged’ – defined as ‘less emotionally connected’ and not willing to do any more than necessary to keep their job.  Most alarming of all, nearly 1 in 5 works are ‘actively disengaged’ – actually against their organization, their boss, or both. If you only had five people working for you, this would make for a bleak support team!

However you interpret these numbers, they paint a disturbing picture and point to a dire gap between the leadership required in today’s flatter and more pressure-laden organizations and the leadership that people are getting. Given that engagement is indispensable to building competitive advantage and staying the course in an increasingly global marketplace, these numbers are a siren call to leaders at all levels to become more deeply engaged in closing the gap lest it grower wider.

While there are countless theories on fostering greater employee engagement and no one clear solution, my experience working with individuals and organisations across cultures, industries and hemispheres is that the most powerful paradigms are also the most practical. This, combined with my research while writing Stop Playing Safe, helped me develop the adjacent engagement framework, which incorporates three core domains for masterful leadership that deepens employee engagement and lifts organizational performance.

i) Connect – Build Trust:Relationships are the currency of the workplace, and so the stronger your connections, the more influence you wield.  To better engage workers in the work, leaders must first better engage with their workers.  This starts by building trust, respect and the lines of communication. People respond better to leaders they respect, even though they may not always like them.  Being able to communicate effectively with employees to direct and guide their actions first requires making a genuine connection with them. This cannot occur if leaders remain in their polished offices, removed from the shop floors and front line where employees live each workday. It requires, as I wrote in a previous column Why Leaders Must ‘Get Real’ – 5 Ways To Unlock Authentic Leadership, a willingness to lay vulnerability on the line, to engage in open conversation, to share authentically, and to constantly acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of those around them (the topic of another recent column).  Employees will be far more ready to go the extra mile for leaders they can relate to on a human level, rather than someone whom they perceive thinks of themselves as a ‘little bit better’ than everyone else.

ii) Inspire – Share The Bigger “Why”: In workplaces around the world today, millions of people show up thinking that what they do doesn’t matter beyond the pay-check they get for it. The cost to the human spirit of such widespread resignation and disillusionment far transcends even the vast cost to the bottom line.  As human beings we long to feel a sense of purpose and meaning in our work, not just our lives outside it. We want to believe that what we are doing with our time and talents, skills and expertise is being used for a worthy purpose. Sadly, too few people do.

People who don’t view the tasks they do each day as holding any larger utility beyond the obvious will scarcely be willing to put forth any extra effort, more prone to cutting corners, and more likely to cover up mistakes.  Which is why it is imperative for leaders to continually strive to ensure employees understand the bigger “Why” – enabling them to connect their actions to a vision – the company’s mission – and how that vision impacts the world around them in a meaningful way. There is little more demoralizing to workers than having a leader who can’t clearly articulate why employees should care about what they’re doing.

As I wrote in Stop Playing Safe, ‘While spirituality and business may seem an oxymoron, organizations that can connect employees to a bigger purpose – to a ‘why’ that transcends their pay check – are those that will tap their full potential and inspire employees to continue go the extra mile.’  Leaders must help people see that their role, while it may seem relatively insignificant in the big scheme, is both valued and valuable. More so, that the attitude and spirit they bring to fulfilling it is no less important.  In short: it’s a leaders mission to inspire those they lead to do more, learn more, and become more than they otherwise would. As leadership expert Lance Secretan wrote in Inspire: What Great Leaders Do, ‘A leader who does not inspire is like a river without water.’

While I have no data to substantiate this, I suspect that the reason employee disengagement is highest among those under 25 is that they are the ones who still have the burning fire in the belly desire to change the world, yet suddenly find themselves in a ‘job’ doing the mundane tasks young workers tend to be given, and struggling to see any connection between what they’re doing and the bigger problems they see in the world around them (a feeling I can still recall myself at that age.) Helping bridge that gap and connect the role an organization is playing in creating a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable world (all values important younger people) will help to not only deepen engagement but inspire workers to go the extra mile and challenge themselves in new ways, knowing that they are part of something bigger than themselves. When people know that there’s something bigger at stake as they go about their work, they will approach every challenge with greater determination, resourcefulness and initiative than they otherwise would.

iii) Embolden –  Cultivate a Culture of Courage:   Willingness to step beyond our comfort zone is crucial to both our success and that of any organization we’re part of. But in order to do that, we have to know that it’s safe to do so and that we won’t be punished if our efforts fall short of the mark. In Stop Playing Safe, I wrote extensively about the importance of leaders at all levels in cultivating a ‘Culture of Courage’ that encourages innovative thinking and makes it ‘safe’ for employees to take risks, make ‘smart mistakes,’ challenge status quo thinking, and provide candid upward feedback.  When employees feel that their contribution is truly valued, and are challenged to push the boundaries of possibility, experiment, and express their opinions openly (though constructively), it triggers greater ownership of their own success as well as their commitment to the larger mission of their team and organisation.

When leaders are committed and actively working to connect, inspire andembolden – they unleash untapped potential and raise the bar not just on productivity, but on the value their organisation contributes to all it’s stakeholders.  Not only that – and of no less significance – they nurture and embolden an entire new generation of leaders to take on the yet seen challenges of tomorrow, clear in the knowledge that while what we do each day at work matters, it is the attitude we bring to what we do that matters far more.