Drops of Rain

     A Newsletter From The Rainmaker Group
 February 20th, 2008
  
Hello Friend!  
 
 
We've got another great newsletter for you this week.  Our lead article addresses the issue of employee hiring in the context of an economic downturn.  While such times are never pleasant, they offer a great opportunity for your organization to make some strategic investments in new human talent.
 
Our second article is an interesting one on cultural transformation and not destroying what gives your organization its identity. As always we have a QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote from John Miller and a great article on business strategy and the Internet by Michael Porter as part of our Featured Guru series.
 
For those of you in the Bismarck/Mandan area of North Dakota don't forget that Generation Y expert Eric Chester will be speaking at the Belle Mehus Auditorium in just a few short weeks on Tuesday, March 4th.  
 
Don't miss this golden opportunity to gain a better understanding of this up and coming generation that is rapidly entering the workforce. 

Tickets are free to the public and are made available from The Rainmaker Group.  Give us a call at 701-530-0806 to reserve your seats today!
 
Power quote:
 
"Life has no rehearsals, only performances"
 
      -Unknown
In This Issue
Four Tips for Hiring During an Economic Downturn
Cultural Transformation - Don't Throw the Baby out with the Bath Water
Featured Guru - Michael Porter
QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - Simply Helping Others
Four Tips for Hiring During an Economic Downturn
Job InterviewFinancial headlines have been rife as of late about major corporations laying off workers by the thousands as the economy continues to lose steam.
 
While this is a time of uncertainty for many and even fear for some, it also presents a great opportunity for your organization to make a strategic investment in its stock of human capital.
 
As layoffs escalate and unemployment rises it is likely that your organization will see a notable increase in the number of applications it receives for job postings.  While this is generally a good thing it can easily result in missed opportunities if your organization fails to hire with a highly strategic mindset. 
 
Our lead article this week offers four tips for hiring during tough economic times that can bring major benefits to your organization for years to come. 
 
Cultural Transformation - Don't Throw the Baby out with the Bath Water
Chris Young - Founder, The Rainmaker GroupYou've probably heard of the old cliche "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."  As much as we may hate cliches, they become cliches because they convey a common and easily understood message.  This expression is no exception. 
 
At The Rainmaker Group we've worked with a number of organizations to help transform their cultures.  One thing that we see many leaders tempted to do is to discard their current culture altogether in favor of something new and more "appealing." 
 
The problem with this approach is that many organizations have a culture with many great things about it in addition to the obvious things that are not so great. 
 
Drastic moves such as massive layoffs, revamping the organizational chart, and implementing new waves of policies and procedures can unwittingly destroy what gives an organization its identity and threaten its ability to be a competing force in its industry. 
 
When it comes to cultural transformation the old cliche holds true: Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!
Featured Guru - Michael Porter
12 Choices to becoming a leaderWhen it comes to business gurus they don't get much bigger than Michael Porter.  Take a look at any list of top business minds or professionals and you are sure to find Michael Porter at or near the top of the list.
 
Porter is a leading authority on two key business topics - strategy and competition.  Two of Porter's works - Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage - are staples in any business professional's library and have stood the test of time.  Many of the theories espoused in these works have made their way into the classrooms of business schools across the globe.
 
In this week's Featured Guru section we'd like to feature an article by Porter pertaining to business strategy and the Internet.  It's rare to find a business these days that does not have a website or an online presence.  However many organizations fail to fully utilize the power of the Internet by not fully integrating their key business strategies, mission, vision, and values into their online presence. 
 
In his article Porter identifies some common mistakes that many organizations make when establishing an online presence and proceeds to offer six valuable principals of strategic online positioning.
 
QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - Simply Helping Others
John Miller
This week's story is one of selflessness and compassion displayed by a convenience store clerk who went out of her way to help a stranger in distress and in need of assistance.  An amazing story of Personal Accountability that exemplifies the QBQ! spirit of service!
 
 
Creating a culture of Personal Accountability should be a top priority for all organizations.  Team members who think and practice Personal Accountability can bring about incredible changes for an organization.  The blame game disappears, morale increases, and customer experiences are enhanced all thanks to the power of Personal Accountability. 
 

The Rainmaker Group is proud to offer powerful day long QBQ! workshops instilling the power of Personal Accountability into teams and organizations across the country.  For more information about these workshops or to purchase John Miller's books, QBQ! and Flipping the Switch Visit our website at: http://www.personalaccountabilityatwork.com

 
John Miller is author of QBQ! The Question Behind The Question, the authoritative guide to practicing Personal Accountability.
RMG Header 
Chris Young and Mike Lindblom, Partners, The Rainmaker GroupImportant questions for you:

Is your organization living up to its full potential?

Is high turnover hurting your bottom line?

Do your team members create the powerful experiences your customers deserve? 

Do team members have difficulty effectively communicating with others?

Bring The Rainmaker Group in to your organization and start realizing your organization's full potential.  Together, we deliver powerful and motivating keynote speeches, design customized training programs and workshops, help identify barriers to communication, and much more.  We don't sell training out of the box, but rather insist on customizing it to your needs!  For more info, send an e-mail to info@therainmakergroupinc.com
Or call 1-866-988-7246
 
About us:

The Rainmaker Group is a People Maximization and Development group located in Bismarck, ND. Our mission is to help those we serve make their difference in the world.

We hope you found this newsletter interesting and informative.  If you like what you read, please give us a shout, we'd love to hear from you! 
 
 
 

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet"

        - Theodore M. Hesbergh
 
Sincerely,

All of us here at The Rainmaker Group
 
1-866-988-7246
For More Great Articles and Stories:
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The Question Behind the Question 
 
The Rainmaker Group Experience
 Start Maximizing Possibility in your organization today!  We offer a variety of services to help your organization realize its full potential.  Check us out today!
 
 
 
 
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Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni 
Recommended Reading:
 
 Five Dysfunctions of a Team
 
By: Patrick Lencioni
 
Competitive Strategy - Michael Porter
 
Recommended Reading:
 
Competitive Strategy
 
By: Michael E. Porter
 
Competitive Advantage - Michael Porter
 
Recommended Reading
 
Competitive Advantage 
 
By: Michael E. Porter
 
A Rainmaker Group Must Read:
 
QBQ! by John Miller
 
QBQ! 
The Question Behind the Question
 
By:  John Miller
 
 
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