Change Agent at Work

Thirst for communication, connection and community

Following up on my entry about talent...  Did you happen to read the opinion page in the Star Gazette yesterday?  Newspapers close to turning page on history was written by a Watkins Glen High School Student - Margaret Amisano - who is a member of the Star Gazette Youth Editorial Board.

Margaret does a great job in talking about the under 40 demographic.  She touched on several issues involving communication and how different modes of communication has changed and evolved with younger generations.

A lesson from Cali and Jody (Workforce of the Future)...

One of the blogs that I frequently read is "Cali and Jody"... "two social visionaries, workplace activists and agents of global change..." read more about them at:  http://caliandjody.com/.

Cali and Jody came up with this concept - ROWE or Results-Only Work Environment.  It's a very real and true concept facing employers today.  Especially in the P4P and NY Pipeline Region.

That's talent...

Today I was on the P4P myspace page... and ran across a new member - an entrepreneur - Round 1 Productions - Beau Kester.  Now here is a young professional - he is 24 - who makes short movies and music videos.  You should check out his work. 

He is located in Horseheads, NY. 

This experience made me think about some of the other talented individuals we have living in the region.  There are many.. I have met a few...

Finding others...

Twin Tiers Young Professional (TTYP) held their monthly wine club last night.  I have attended these events in the past - they're great.  I was able to reconnect with some old friends and meet some new people as well.

The wine club is meant to bring people together to socialize - current and future members. 

TTYP and other young professional groups around the region play an important role in helping attract and retain young people. 

People like to look around and see other people like them - in this case other young, under 40 people.  The case can be made for people over 40 too.

If you're in the Elmira/Corning area you should check out and support TTYP - http://ttyp.org.  Binghamton area - http://styp.org.  Ithaca area - http://ithacaforward.org.   

Cynics and Skeptics need not apply...

On February 13th Pipeline 4 Progress (P4P) and other community stakeholders held a Regional Action Initiative Kick-Off Event at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Robert Simpson, President Elect, of the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) of Syracuse and Central New York was one of the closing speakers.  The MDA has established a successful regional initiative in Central NY - The Creative Core.

Simpson shared his thoughts and experience about the success and obstacles the MDA faced in pulling together the Central NY Initiative. 

"Often, we let the cynics within the region and critics from outside the region define our region for us," Simpson said.  "Don't let the skeptics and the cynics stand in the way of (P4P's) initiative."

P4P Regional Action Initiative

Over the past two years, Pipeline 4 Progress (P4P) has focused on developing strategies to attract and retain talented individuals in our Region.  In 2007 we launched our P4P Connection and Come Home efforts… in 2008 we plan to expand and focus more energy on making those and other programs successful and vital to the area.  We have built exciting new partnerships and look forward the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Rebuilding an upstate empire...

...is an article from the Albany Times Union that outlines Dan Gundersen's three-pronged approach to retaining and bringing businesses to New York. 

In the article Mr. Gundersen says the first step is preparing upstate NY to compete in the "innovation economy" and highlights "the jobs of the innovation economy" - - citing BAE Systems (Binghamton) and Corning, Inc. (Corning) - - both located in the Southern Tier! 

Attracting talent from around the globe...

This morning I was having coffee and watching Headline News...  Iraq's Brain Drain was the topic of one story - then it hit me...

...well didn't hit me because I realize all over the world communities are competing to be "hip" and attract/retain talented professionals. 

But I realized we might be missing something.

Gen X and Y Factor

There is an awful lot of discussion around workforce development and rightly so - it's a critical issue. 

But on the other side and an area that demands our attention - is employer development.

Yes, employer development.

New talent is entering the workforce daily...  recent college graduates are eager, motivated and looking for their first job. 

So how do you attract and retain the new or next generation worker?  By thinking differently.

Twin Tiers Focus Radio Program

Radio program with host Paul Thomas and Pipeline 4 Progress (P4P) Chairman Mike Fuller discussing P4P initiatives and programs and the impact on the region.

Download pipeline_4_progress.mp3