At Jenrick, we have witnessed a number of major organisations turn to a technique called ‘acqui-hiring’ in which they purchase a company to acquire that company’s talent. In acqui-hire situations, it is not unusual for entire product lines and market verticals to be discarded in this process – as the (only) objective is to ‘acquire’ a talented workforce.

“We [Facebook] have not once bought a company for the company. We buy companies to get excellent people….”

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

One of the most interesting trends in startup land is the rise of the “acqui-hire,” which is when a big company buys a smaller company just to get its employees.

For instance, Facebook acquired New York-startups Hot Potato and Drop.io just for the companies’ founders. It pretty much killed the product they developed. Or, more recently, Google bought Milk, the app development company from Kevin Rose. It killed all of Milk’s projects and put the team to work on Google+.

Why are Google and Facebook buying the companies instead of just poaching the employees? UNC law professors John Coyle and Gregg Polsky explored the acqui-hire trend and published a paper on it.

Dan Primack at Fortune read the paper and talked to the professors. The results are fascinating.

The key takeaways:

• It saves face for the entrepreneur to say, “I sold my company to Google.” The professors found that the majority of acqui-hired companies couldn’t have raised another round of funding. Taking a “buy out” offer sounds a lot better than having the company go out of business.

• It eases the tension of offering people huge salaries to come work at your company. If Facebook tried to hire some of the people at Hot Potato, it would have to make a generous offer. If it led to the new Hot Potato employee making more money than the current Facebook employees, the office culture could be poisoned. But, if Facebook brings in employees through an acqui-hire, and essentially gives them a huge bonus to join, what can it do? It has to tell its people, “We had to buy their equity.”

• That equity bonus is better for tax purposes. Engineers can treat their bonuses as capital gains, which is more tax-friendly. Though, the UNC professors believe this might not last if the IRS starts paying attention.

• Acqui-hiring is good for big companies because it keeps VCs happy. If Google had the choice between poaching a startups employees, and robbing a VC of the ability to say it had an exit, or just doing the acqui-hire, the acqui-hire is better in the long run. It might end up costing a little more, but it keeps VCs happy, and down the road the VCs might be able to help out Google.

The Jenrick Recruitment Group was honoured to sponsor the 2013 Nordkapp Challenge in aid of The Marfan Trust.

On May 5th 2013 Five Morgan Cars left the UK en-route to Nordkapp (Norway), one of the most northern landmarks in Europe, well inside the Arctic Circle.

The objective of the 14-day, 5,000-mile journey, through 9 countries, was to raise awareness for a little known medical condition called ‘Marfan Syndrome.’

The condition currently affects up to 18,000 in the UK, yet only 50% of that number are currently registered with The Marfan Trust and are receiving appropriate medical attention. The UK figures are similarly reflected all over Europe.

Statistics show that if an early diagnosis is not made, up to 1/3 of those with the syndrome will suffer from a fatal heart condition, before reaching their mid-twenties.

Thus, a key objective of the trip was to generate as much media awareness as possible, doing so through harnessing the strength and commitment of the extensive European Morgan owners and dealership community.

Did the Challenge meet its objectives?

This can be answered with a firm YES.

The Challenge has been featured on numerous television and radio news broadcasts, most notably the BBC. After each broadcast, there was a notable spike in online traffic to show the impact the message was making.

Furthermore, an extremely active online community has been developed that has generated a substantial amount of awareness, especially through a very passionate Facebook Group and Talk Morgan (leading UK discussion forum) following.

Both of these groups have driven a substantial amount of traffic to the individual pages of the ‘Driven at Heart’ website, generating several hundred unique visits every day to the site.

In addition, the Challenge has also raised over £50,000, which will be donated directly to the incredible research work of The Marfan Trust to assist them in their plight to find a cure for the condition.

However, the most touching moments have been the numerous emails and messages that have been received from the people (and also from their families) who have Marfan syndrome, thanking the Team for all their efforts to raise awareness for the syndrome.

Can I still get involved?

Another clear YES!

Primarily, please come and learn about the symptoms of Marfan syndrome, and also listen to the incredible story of Lucy Morris, who inspired the team to take on the Challenge.

Furthermore, come and view the Driven at Heart website or the website of The Marfan Trust – both of which will provide you with much more information on Marfan syndrome.

Also, come and LIKE the Driven at Heart Facebook page to ensure you keep up with the additional events that are planned and the launch of the commemorative DVD of the trip.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Within us, we have all our dreams and hopes and fears. We also have our values and beliefs.  We have our past memories, our future memories and what we want to do in this moment.  The only way that we can share any of this internal information with a friend, a colleague, the world, is through the use of language.  So we communicate our inside world by speech to the outside world.  This though alone starts to reflect how complex and how very important communication really is.

So here is what I have observed.  When we speak to someone with a foreign language, we consciously accept that we have a communication barrier. To overcome this barrier, we tend to heighten our listening skills and we start to pay more attention to the things we normally would take for granted.  So we observe their facial expressions, their hand gestures, their tone of their voice.  We listen for words that sound familiar and we mirror back what they have said so that we can be sure that we have correctly understood them.

We are willing to become more animated in ourselves and seem to have no problem doing this.  Yet when we are speaking to someone that uses our native tongue, someone we know fairly well to very well…. we go unconscious.  We step into the space of ‘I know what you mean’ or ‘ I understand you’ and actually stop listening to them and their story and start to listen to ourselves and how their story fits our lives.

We now walk away with a version of their story, but through our filters and our interpretation.  We will give meaning from our meaning, we will generalize through our bank of information and delete what we think is not important.  This will feel right to us, as we have made it our own and as a result we will now have a new story which is not quite right!!  This is the start of miscommunication.

A good communicator has knowledge of the process of communication and therefore the tools to become flexible in the moment and to adjust to the way that others like to receive information. They will also be aware of themselves and not interfere with the original story, instead if something is ambiguous and unclear, they will ask specific questions to elicit the information that is needed.

So when it feels like you are communicating to your team or other departments in a foreign language, in ways that you haven’t thought about before…maybe you are!

FURTHER INFORMATION

Vicky Ross is a leading communications expert that enables business managers to empower their teams to do better business.  She specialises in Personal and Executive Mastery and has various personal programmes as well as business training packages to offer.

• To learn more about Vicky Ross and the business training packages she has to offer please click here.

Over the last 4 years, The Jenrick Charity Photo Competition has been responsible for donating thousands of pounds to numerous charities and organisations spread throughout the UK and beyond, helping raise the profile of so many lesser-known charitable concerns along the way.

Are you interested in entering our next charity photo competition to have the chance of receiving £100 to donate to a charity of your choice plus have your photo featured in the next edition of the Jenrick Calendar?

If the answer is yes, here’s how you and your business can get involved…

How can YOU and your business get involved?

• Do you enjoy photography? Then this is for you. Why not also spread the word throughout your office and get your co-workers involved too. The more the merrier!
• Do you support a charity? If there is a particular charity that you feel passionate about this is a quick-fire way to raise some extra funds for them.
• What charities does your company support? If your company supports charitable causes, then once again, this an ideal opportunity to raise additional funds for them. Feel free to forward this article to a member of your HR team, or whoever within your organisation you feel would be responsible for promoting this further, in order to take advantage of this superb opportunity!

What theme would you like this year’s photo competition to be?

To kick start the competition we first need a photo theme! Thank you to those of you who have emailed us with your suggestions for a theme.  From that list we’ve come up with a final 5 for you to vote from! Here they are…

• Eye catching – Photos of something that really catches your eye!

• Happiness is… – Simple really, whatever it is that makes you feel happy!

• All things that sparkle – Bring a bit of sparkle into our lives and snap away at anything and everything that…sparkles!

• The four seasons – Capture on camera the wonderful seasons that we are able to enjoy all year round.

• Light and shade – Catch the dramatic effects that light and shade can create…

VOTE NOW!

Please let us know your favourite theme by voting in our poll below.

On Friday 31st May we’ll count the votes and announce the winning theme so you can start sending in your photos!

Learn more about the Jenrick Charity Photo Competition

If you haven’t yet heard of our charity photo competition and wish to learn more on how you can get involved please feel free to email us at photo@jenrick.co.uk for more information.

 Thanks for voting everyone!

We felt that this article, which addressed why some people appear to gain promotion while others always seem to be overlooked, effectively  complemented the topics that are covered in Jenrick IT’s Executive Coaching Programme.

“You do your job faithfully every day. You may even do your job exceptionally well. Why is it, then, that you’ve been in the same position for three years while others – seemingly less-deserving people – have been promoted?

The people who have been promoted may know one critical thing that you don’t.

Promotion isn’t just about doing what you’re paid to do. It’s not necessarily even about being the best “widget” maker you can be.

Promotion is about pushing the limits of your current position.

It’s about showing that you have outgrown your current responsibilities, and that you’re ready to take on new ones.

Think about it. If you’re busy working away, producing more widgets per hour than anyone has ever produced, why should I promote you? Clearly, your value to the company is your efficiency. If I promote you, my production output may suddenly fall!

Focusing on simply what’s expected of you may be a great strategy to keep the job you have. But going beyond what’s expected, and stretching yourself beyond your current role, can lead to a new job with more responsibility.

Now, before you head out to stop being effective at anything, remember – in your pursuit of a promotion, you still have to perform well and meet your current job requirements. The key is identifying ways to add more value to your contribution.

Organizations move forward by solving problems. Discover ways to be more involved in the solutions – and that may move you forward too.

Understand Your Organization

To prepare for a promotion, you have to really understand the drivers of organizational success. It doesn’t necessarily mean doing more things – it means doing more of the RIGHT things.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What are the strategic goals of the organization?
• How does your department’s work fit into the overall strategy?
• How is your boss’s performance measured?
• What critical functions do other people in your team currently perform?

You may even want to make lateral moves – to similar positions in different departments – to increase your overall appreciation for what the company does. If your exposure is broader, you may also see and be considered for more promotion opportunities.

For example, if you’re a communications manager and feel that there’s no place else to go with your job, gain experience in other areas of the company. When you have the right mix of experience and skill, promotion to a more senior level may become a realistic goal.

Increase Your Responsibility

Typically, managers are given responsibility for something, and they then delegate various pieces to their staffs. They delegate in order to have more time to work on higher-level tasks. These higher-level tasks are what you want to get involved in.

To gain access to them, you first have to prove that you’re capable of handling the increased responsibility. Here are some ways to prove your capabilities:

• Complete your work thoroughly and with as little supervision as possible. This involves working well as part of a team, while also demonstrating individual competence.
• When you have questions for your boss, come prepared with solutions as well.
• Expand your skill set. Determine what you need to learn to add more value, and make a plan to acquire those skills. Also, find out about the skills you’ll need in the new role, and make sure you acquire these.
• Get up-to-date, and stay current in your field, perhaps by reading the industry press. Find opportunities to continue your learning and education.
• Become aware of the economic and business pressures facing your organization.
• Use good judgment when carrying out your responsibilities. Think about cost versus benefit, review bottom-line results, and know how your role impacts the company as a whole.

Then, look for opportunities to lead projects. This can help you practice your leadership skills and demonstrate your ability to take on new responsibilities. Try the following:

• Volunteer to take on new projects and other opportunities, to learn and practice other skills. For example, offer to cover a co-worker’s responsibilities while he or she is on vacation.
• Identify opportunities to delegate your own work. This frees up your time and allows you to practice supervising others’ work.
• Offer to take on tasks that you know your boss dislikes or is weak in. You’ll expand your range of experience, and you’ll make your boss’s job easier – it’s a win-win!

Get Innovative

To prepare for a promotion, always think about how to do things better. That’s one of the defining characteristics of leaders. How can you do something cheaper, faster, or with less waste? Consider the following:

• Demonstrate critical thinking when you report to your boss. Rather than accept things as they are, think how you can improve them – and come up with innovative ways to do those things better.
• Understand the big picture, and incorporate it into your decisions and solutions.
• Look for things that aren’t being done at all. Innovation isn’t always improving things that already exist – it’s often adding something of value as well.
• Put forward your ideas, even if you aren’t sure of the response. This demonstrates both your imagination and willingness to take risks. Be prepared for many of your ideas to not be accepted.

If you prove that you’re interested in improving organizational performance and that you can come up with some original ideas, this can be a great way to set the stage for promotion. Learn more about innovative thinking in Practical Innovation.

Set Promotion Goals

Ultimately, you’re the one who needs to work proactively to make a promotion happen. If you rely on someone else to make it happen, you’ll probably end up disappointed. Take action with these steps:

• Identify your career goals within the organization.
• Talk to people who hold the kinds of positions and levels of authority that you want. Find out what they did to get where they are. The more you learn from other people’s experiences, the better.
• Evaluate your strengths, and set goals to learn the skills you need for success.
• Take note of who your internal competition might be – others in your company who may want the same position you want – and work hard to distinguish yourself and make yourself stand out.
• Look for a mentor within the organization. Having someone to talk to, and who might champion your ideas, is a great benefit.
• Set your goal, and follow it through!

When you run into obstacles, find ways to work around them. A positive attitude can go a long way toward reaching your goals, and getting noticed for your ability to inspire and motivate.

Communicate Your Desire

Doing all of the above will likely be met with great appreciation. That won’t guarantee a promotion, though. Let people know what you want, and then proactively work to achieve it.

Here are some steps you can take to make your wishes known:

• Identify a role or position toward which you want to work.
• Using your knowledge of the organization, find out what experience and skills are needed to get that job.
• Work with your boss to set performance objectives so that you can achieve the necessary skills and experience.
• Network with people in the company. Let as many people as appropriate know what type of role interests you. Seek advice on how to prepare for that role.
• Ask for the promotion when it becomes available. If you aren’t ready yet, use this as an opportunity to develop the skills you need.

As you execute your promotion plan, let others who have influence over the decision know what you’re doing. You have to be your own best champion: Preparing for a promotion is no time to be quiet and shy. You need many people to know what you’re capable of and what you want.

Demand for staff continued to rise at a solid pace in April. Permanent staff vacancy growth inched up since March, but temp vacancies increased at the weakest pace in nine months.

April data pointed to an easing in the rate of inflation of permanent staff salaries, with the latest rise the slowest since last November. Temp pay growth also eased on the month.

Permanent staff availability was broadly unchanged in April, ending a four-month period of decline. Temp availability rose, but only modestly and at the slowest rate in 2013 so far.

The Midlands saw the strongest rate of permanent placements growth, followed by the South. London meanwhile posted a modest rise. The North registered stagnation.

Temporary/contract staff billings rose in the Midlands and the North during April. In contrast, London and the South posted declines.

Public sector demand for staff declined, with reduced vacancies indicated for both permanent and temporary/contract workers. In contrast, private sector employees saw growth of demand, with the faster expansion reported for permanent staff.

The strongest growth of demand for permanent staff was signalled within the Engineering sector during April. IT & Computing workers also registered a marked rise in demand for their services. In contrast, there was a slight fall in demand for Hotel & Catering staff.

“Demand in the economy is returning, slowly but surely. Businesses are feeling more confident, hence steady levels of people being placed into permanent jobs and rising in starting salaries across the north of England,” REC chief executive Kevin Green said.

“It really is one in the eye for the naysayers who talk down our labour market and dismiss improving employment figures as being ‘the wrong kind of jobs’.

“Recruiters are reporting a renewed sense of purpose from their clients, with employers making hiring decisions more quickly than before. Highly skilled jobs like engineering and IT are still big growth areas, and the reports of shortages of people to fill sales vacancies show that companies are gearing up for increases in business investment and consumer spending.

“All the feedback from recruiters is that employers intend to continue to increase their use of flexible staffing in the months ahead.”

• To view the full REC Report please click here.

Article: freshbusinessthinking.com

Further Information

If you are an IT professional seeking to advance your career, then please contact the Jenrick IT consultant team directly on (01932) 245 500 or view our current IT job opportunities and apply online.

Jenrick Engineering is a recruitment partner for many of the leading Engineering Corporations within the UK, providing an array of contract and permanent job opportunities for engineers who operate within this sector.

If you would like to  explore job opportunities within the engineering sector, or wish to seek advice regarding recruiting contractors or permanent staff, please contact our offices at Burton on Trent (on 01283 548 121) or Crick, Northampton (on 01788 824555).

The specialist recruitment team at Jenrick Commercial have a number of Permanent and Temporary jobs available within specific divisions so please feel free to get in touch on 01932 230868.

Shares in London soared to their highest level for nearly five years yesterday – taking gains for 2013 to more than £110billion.

The FTSE 100 index jumped 70.36 points to 6,347.24 on another dramatic day for investors following the best January for the stock market since 1989.

It means the value of Britain’s blue chip firms has increased by £114billion this year and by £720billion since the depths of the financial crisis in March 2009.

The rally is a massive boost to the value of pensions and investments for millions of households at a time when savings rates are at rock bottom.

The stock market has not been at these levels since May 2008 – before the full force of the banking crisis struck with the collapse of US giant Lehman Brothers in September that year. David Buik, a markets analyst at Cantor Index, said:

‘This is great news for pensioners. The positive sentiment will eventually rub off on the UK economy which is starting to respond to treatment.’

The FTSE 100 index topped 6,700 in 2007 before the crisis struck but crashed to 3,512 in March 2009. It has risen steadily since and added more than 6 per cent last month alone in a bumper start to the year. Gerard Lane, an analyst at stock broker Shore Capital, said:

‘I still think the FTSE 100 will see 7,000 by the year-end and if you are a smart investor you invest for the 7,000 now rather than wait for a correction that might never happen.’

The ailing British economy is showing signs of life, with insolvencies down to pre-recession levels and factory output up at its fastest pace for more than a year. The flurry of good news will come as a relief to George Osborne and ease fears that the UK is heading for a  triple-dip recession.

James Knightley, an economist at banking group ING, said:

‘This offers hope that the contraction in the fourth quarter of 2012 will not be repeated in the first quarter of 2013.’

The Insolvency Service said the number of companies going under fell 7.6 per cent last year to 4,593 – the lowest level since 2007.

Ric Traynor, executive chairman of corporate rescue firm Begbies Traynor, said:

‘The decrease in the level of distress across the UK is a welcome sign that some parts of the economy are moving back towards improved financial health.
‘However, the situation remains fragile, with a large proportion of companies still struggling to survive.’

The Insolvency Service report also found the number of people declared insolvent fell by 8.7 per cent last year to 109,477 – the lowest level since 2008. Nick O’Reilly, an insolvency partner at accountants HW Fisher, said:

‘The worst cases of individual debt have now passed through the system.’

Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight, added:

‘The overall impression is that the manufacturing sector may be past the worst after a pretty torrid 2012, but it still has its work cut out to return to sustainable decent growth in the face of challenging domestic and international conditions.’

Article Source: dailymail.co.uk

At 6am on Sunday May 5th the Nordkapp Challenge Cars will depart from Morgan’s Malvern Factory to begin their 5,000 mile round trip to the Arctic Circle, in aid of Marfan Sydrome.

A number of Jenrick’s clients recently had the opportunity to learn much more about Marfan Syndrome and the Nordkapp Challenge, whilst on a unique behind the scenes factory visit, given by Morgan Managing Director Steve Morris (also a driver on the challenge).

The day was a huge success as you’ll gather from the photos and feedback below, with a new-found awareness and understanding for Marfan Syndrome with everyone who attended the event.

“Thank you for inviting me to the Morgan Cars / Marfan Trust day on Friday. The tour of the factory was most interesting and driving the Aero 8 back from the pub with Kevin as co-pilot was the perfect finish! Learning about Marfan Syndrome and the courageousness of Lucy Morris was humbling. I have visited the ‘driven at heart’ website and will make a donation.”

“What a brilliant event… It really was a ‘one of a kind’ which I am sure we will talk about (and your invited clients and colleagues) for years to come.”

“Thank you for a terrific day out – it was completely unique.”

“I just wanted to say a massive thanks for inviting me along to your event today at Morgan. It’s was a really great day and special to know there was also such a good cause being supported by everyone. The flow of the day was perfect and seeing the manufacturing process and have a play with their beautiful cars was great.”

“Thank you all at Jenrick and Morgan for a brilliant day out, it was a wonderful experience.Steve, it was a real pleasure to meet you and thank you for entrusting me with the Aeromax, it’s certainly a very special car.”

“A big thank you to you both for a really fun day on Friday, and an even more fun day on Sat with the Aero SuperSports!! Very much appreciate your hospitality, and found the factory tour very interesting – a real insight into the Morgan family. Hope all goes well with the Marfan trip to Norway – will follow your progress.”

“This was a fantastic day, a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks so much to you guys for organising such an event.”

Further Information

• To learn more about The Nordkapp Challenge and Marfan Syndrome, please click here
• To donate, please visit Driven at Heart’s fundraising page 
• To listen to an inspiring interview with Lucy Morris on the Maximise Potential Podcast, please click here.

Daryll recently created a Whitepaper which provides a wonderful insight into this (very emotive) subject, which we felt was an excellent resource to share with our audience.

Introduction:

“If you think about it, the term ‘Change Management’ is slightly unhelpful. It’s reactive. It supposes that the change has already happened and you now need to manage it; like managing nuclear fallout – we are accepting that ‘the horse has already bolted’ and we are there to ‘lock the stable door’.

Consider the difference between ‘managing change’ and ‘provoking change’ or influencing change’ – the latter are clearly more pro-active and more organic.

We all know that, no matter how sensible or well intended the change, it will succeed or fail as a result of how people react to it and how they behave after the change is implemented – so rather than dealing with change like a necessary evil; how can we shift our intentions to creating compelling, contagious change?”

Introduction written by Daryll Scott, Change Agent (for) & joint Managing Director (of) ‘Use Your Noggin Ltd’

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE WHITEPAPER:

• Download Daryll’s Whitepaper on ‘Leading Change’ & ‘Effective Change Management’ HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT DARYLL & THE ‘MY NOGGIN’ TEAM:

• Click here to learn more about Daryll Scott and the My Noggin team & their specialities

Each has a Chief Digital Officer, or CDO, to bring together strategic business practices, technology, skilled leadership and internal and external communications. Most CDOs can be found inside of media companies, sitting just a seat or two away from the CEO.

Two years ago, there were lively conversations that CDOs were those who didn’t get the coveted title of President. Others maintained organizations that supported the CDO position were advocating for silos, the curse in marketing and communications. Today, demand for CDOs is outpacing supply.

A complex blend of talent and leadership

Chief Digital Officers are not self-described social media gurus or community managers. CDOs have competencies in the convergence of technology, business, boards, and organizational development.

“Business strategies now must be seamlessly interwoven with ever-expanding digital strategies that address not only the web but also mobile, social, local and whatever innovation there may be around the corner,” write Rhys Grossman and Jana Rich of Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm.

In their article titled, The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer, Grossman and Rich state:

“To help meet these challenges, companies are increasingly looking for a Chief Digital Officer who can oversee the full range of digital strategies and drive change across the organization.”

To lead a business through a technological transformation is no easy task. CDOs are innovators despite internal skeptics who whisper and rant about the pitfalls of social media.

CDOs must have the following five competencies: 

1. They must be comfortable as a possible successor to the CEO. CDOs must be able to lead a global culture and drive an online presence. He or she must be experienced in business operations, management and recruiting and retaining top talent. A CDO is a visionary, especially in our technology-based world.

2. They must act as agents of change and grasp the underlying psychology of consensus-building and conflict resolution.

3. They must have Board experience and solid communication skills. After all, they are the conduit between stakeholders and the C-suite.

4.  They must know how to set sound business strategies have seasoned project managers to implement them.

5. They must possess deep knowledge of technology, e-commerce, consumer behavior, and social media. This is especially important for media organizations, as CDOs are often charged with transforming analog to digital.

Where is this person?

You may be wondering: Does such a person exist? Where do organizations find one individual who encompasses this blend of talent?

And if you work in PR, marketing or communications, you may be curious if you have what it takes to be a Chief Digital Officer.

Grossman and Rich maintain that people considering CDO positions “may be reluctant to join established organizations, viewing them as old fashioned.” The co-authors note that “many candidates come from cutting-edge, entrepreneurial organizations.”

Here’s another solid point that Grossman and Rich offer.

”Companies … have to move very quickly when they find and meet talent that has potential. The current state of supply and demand almost guarantees that other opportunities will be available to talented candidates.”

The bottom line about the evolving role of CDOs brings us to the real bottom line in business. Chief Digital Officers are leading new revenue streams through digital channels that can leave many people and employees feeling uneasy.

If the CDO is unable to succeed in brand management, e-commerce, transactions, and customer engagement efforts, his or her organization can be faced with a financial disaster.

Article Source: getinfrontcommunications.com