Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.

Body Language

We all speak at least two languages. While we’re talking one language, whatever it is, our body is speaking a language of its own. Quite often, our voice and our body are saying two different things.

When I taught live classes for trainers on the assembly line, I taught body language, a great communication device for getting the message across. Yet sometimes, the idea that gets across may not always be the one you intended to send. It’s easier to talk pleasantly than for the body to hide being anxious, or bored, or worried. Yet, body language is essential. People will read the body language before they hear the words.

As we progressed into communicating with email, the ability to read the body language was not there. It made the information sometimes hard to completely understand because we were so used to having body language as a part of our communication.

Today we have video email, also looked at as face-to-face conversations. There are Face Time, Skype, and Zoom, to mention a few. As we move more into video chat and face-to-face meetings over the computer, once again, body language comes to the forefront.

It looks as though we need to be careful about what the body screams while we are softly talking.

What does your body say when you are trying to make a point?

Get Your Point Across

I find it interesting that we have so many ways to communicate.  Sometimes, though, it is frustrating when we don’t consider our best communication methods.

Some people yell and scream. They get irate and stomp their feet trying to get the point across. Sometimes these people are just disruptive. And often, they’re mad at themselves because they can’t figure out why people do not listen to them.

There are better ways of communication. Some people speak so softly that it pulls you towards them to be able to hear. It is a better method than yelling or screaming.

I remember seeing an interview with a prominent actor where he talked about being up for a role as a tough guy. He sat in the waiting room and listened to other actors try out for the part. They yelled and screamed their lines, and they were angry and over-the-top.

Our actor did not worry about that. He already knew what worked. When it was his turn to the audition, rather than yelling and screaming, he pulled the co-actor close, placed fingers near her eyes, and spoke softly and forcefully into her ear. It was very effective and won him the role.

How do you get your point across?

Thank You Moms

I am incredibly fortunate. I have been able to do and share a lot in my life, and I realize it’s not all because of me. We all have mothers, mothers in law, and grandmothers who have helped us to get to where we are today. I am tremendously thankful to have had these ladies and their guidance in my life.

I also realize that being thankful doesn’t just stop with them, for they had guidance from their parents and grandparents.

We do not live in a vacuum; vacuums do not exist on earth. We are touched and guided by all those around us and those who care for us. I know that the things I can do today and the things I can plan and do in the future are all things that my wife and these extraordinary women have helped me accomplish.

I know this comes a few days early, yet with all that’s going on, I wanted to make sure this Mother’s Day did not pass without me thanking those who have sacrificed to give me so much. I genuinely understand and sincerely thank them for their knowledge, wisdom, and ideals which they have Helped to grow within me.

Thank You Very Much!

New Technology

Technology takes time to learn. And those who are wise among us understand this and take the time needed. Technology offers new ideas and new ways, which save time, money, and often lives. Yet if you do not learn the necessary technologies, you are often left worse off than before.

I encourage everyone to put aside time to learn new ideas and new ways of accomplishing their work. Consider a few hours upfront equals a small investment in a positive future.

I remember when people told me they could not learn the computer. I asked them if they were born knowing how to drive or did they need to take lessons. No one I talked to had been born knowing how to drive a car or a truck. I must, although, let you know that I only know a tiny percentage of the overall population.

I explained to everyone asked that it was OK not to be born knowing how to drive. I also told the person that if they could learn how to drive, they can learn how to use a computer to type a letter, make a simple spreadsheet, or put together a PowerPoint. In a simple six-week course I used to teach, they learned everything about the computer to get a job, fill out forms, and write resumes and cover letters.

Are you facing something you think you cannot learn? Were you born with the knowledge to drive a car or a truck?

Movement

In life, we are either growing toward something we want to be or finding ourselves falling away from something we were. We rarely find ourselves at a point of equilibrium where we are neither going up nor down. I wish I could tell you why. I can only tell you this the way it seems to be.

I have a suspicion the way it looks is because of the movement of everyone else around us. People are climbing on their paths and lives, people falling away from where they were, and those lucky few who have found their moment of equilibrium. Even when we’re not in motion, everyone else’s movement around us makes it look as though we are.

We have to remember one essential truth in this world of constant ups and downs, changing directions, and desires to be somewhere or someone else. The only person we have to impress is ourselves.

I know our mind finds itself consumed by what everyone else thinks of us. Yet, they should not be the focus. It goes back to yesterday’s thought on the person in the mirror. You are the one with whom you have to live. You are the one with whom you need to be comfortable.

What have you done to impress yourself today?

You Earned It

You have the best resource that anyone has ever had in the history of this planet. It’s difficult for you to see this resource in action, or hardly at all for most of the time. That is unless you look in a mirror. Yes, your best help, and the one that gives you the edge over all others, is you.

As as you work, you learn and grow. You know more about yourself and more about others every day. And as you grow, all that knowledge is kept in one place, you. You usually do not notice this because it comes so easy to you. Yet when you want something, you can dig deep within yourself to find the stamina, courage, and abilities to gain the upper hand.

The one person that can make the most happen is the person in the mirror. We tend to ignore that person because we’re so busy trying to figure out everyone else. It’s time for you to take some consideration of how talented that mirror person is.

If you work hard at it, you will find a treasure trove of abilities and knowledge that you probably weren’t paying attention to all these years. All of this belongs to you. You earned it over years of hard work and learning. It is time for you to take your just rewards and do good for yourself And your family.

After all, don’t you deserve it?

Think About It

Have you ever begun to do something when your head just was not in the right place?

When I try to work on something, and my head is not on point, I can make a real mess out of things.

I believe that to find our path forward in life and earn the employment we desire is one of the biggest tasks we will ever encounter.

If we take this task seriously, we have a world to gain. If taken lightly, the world is ours to lose.

I am proposing that people start down the road to new employment with cleared heads and a correct set of ideas to help them understand where they want to go and what tools could help them.

 A clearer and more robust head could save a mountain of grief as you ascend the possible wrong paths in life.

Do you think with a critical thought? 

Think Critical

I am now in the build of my next course. What would you like to see in my next course about finding employment?

The course is on using critical thinking in your employment search.

Do you like working with critical thinking? And would you like to strengthen those brain cells?

I want to use my blog to train on the fundamentals of critical thinking. These blogs are free.

I will take one idea day and give it to you to consider. The next day I will discuss some of the possibilities of that idea in the blog.

If you like the idea of playing with some critical thinking exercises, tell me if this is for you.

For today I have one question for you to ponder. Why is critical thinking talked about and desired amongst employers who are hiring?

Thinking Critically

I am presently working on my next course. And, I hope to have it completed within the month.

The course is on using critical thinking in finding employment.

Do you like working with critical thinking? And would you like to work with it to strengthen those brain cells?

I am asking because I am considering using my blog to train on the fundamentals of critical thinking. These blogs are free; I do not want to bore you, though.

I will take one idea day and give it to you to consider. The next day I will discuss some of the possibilities of that idea in that blog.

If you like the idea of playing with some critical thinking exercises, please let me know. If you hate this idea, you want to let me know soon.

For today I have one question for you to ponder. Why is critical thinking talked about and desired amongst people who are hiring?

Why Hire Humans?

Today, almost everything is becoming automated. Today, doctors are teaching robots now to become doctors. Many planes fly on autopilot, with the pilot sitting there just in case something goes wrong. And, our goals in business are not to manage people. We manage systems and processes.

The one thing that automation has over people is that it will do the same job,  the same way every time. No deviation and no thought are needed. Suppose you have a process that’s absolutely perfect whether it is building a car, building computer boards, doing an operation, or flying a plane or drone. In that case, automation has or is going to be taking a large chunk of the workload.

Yet don’t count humans out.  Humans have one thing that machines don’t. Humans can think. And critical thinking is one of the most important things that employers need. Not every situation is exactly like every other situation. Deviations caused by outside forces call for an understanding and rethinking of solutions required in certain conditions.

Employers know this, so when you go for an interview, ‘what if’ or ‘how do you’ questions will be more prevalent. You need to be ready for them and explain the steps you’re taking in the answer. Your interviewers are looking for somebody who will take a look at what the solution does when used.

How are you at critical thinking?