'Ben Thinking' for the week of 02.10
Hey there!
I’m not going to spend a lot of time in the opening this week. We are seeing major shifts in our industries right now and I don’t want to delay too much in getting to those stories.
As I try to communicate to any of my contacts, I take my role very seriously in sharing news, trends and stories that I think my network needs to be aware of. That’s becoming more challenging because if I shared everything this newsletter would be 20 pages long.
It’s also becoming more challenging because there is no true short-term strategy anymore (if there ever was). Instead, we need to do our best to stay focused on your purpose, what your focus is and how to shrink that purview without getting tunnel-vision. (Simple, right!?) My goal is to do this on your behalf. I’ve joked in the past that I’m your human aggregator.
I don’t think it’s a joke anymore.
Continue to lean on me and this newsletter to help you – and if there’s something you’d like to see covered or would like to talk about more, let me know directly. You can message me any time. (Email: ben.brugler@akhia.com)
Anyway, onto what I’ve ‘Ben thinking’ about:
Are we seeing a shift in how companies will be structured in the next year or two?
Let me answer that: yes, we are.
I’m betting you may think I’m going to talk about AI as the cause for this. Well, AI is certainly a reason but it’s not the primary driver. Yet. (Plus, AI stories belong in that other newsletter.)
In this case I’d like to call your attention to what happened halfway through the pandemic: The Great Resignation. You remember. We had a labor shortage. Leaders asked ‘does anyone want to work?’ in the same breath as ‘they’re asking how much?’
The market dictated everything from location to salary. Companies hired more than they needed (just in case more people quit) and paid more than they should (we gotta get people in here!).
I think we’re starting to see a fallout from that period. Companies want more advanced and skilled workers and are creating a situation where those may be recent grads or a type of forced horizontal development. (New skills, same pay.) Now, back to that AI mention – companies can theoretically get more out of their teams by leveraging AI. And they can seemingly afford to ‘push’ those with the experience and intellectual capital out (if they figure out how to use AI to catalog it).
These are real trends I’m talking about – not hypothetical. This recent article about how Amazon’s CEO has set out to ‘flatten middle management’ is proof of that. It really grabbed my attention; what do you think? Is this a fad? Will we see more of this? (Source: Bloomberg)
For more discussion around structure, check out the next story – seems I’m not the only one thinking this…
9 trends that will shape work in 2025 and beyond. (According to Gartner)
Love the ambition in this HBR article but let’s drop the ‘and beyond’ part. We are living in the moment. And that moment must align to our key areas of focus. So, what in this article really matters most to your business? All nine of them.
The numbers are in. And they’re not good.
It’s that time of year again where we look at employee engagement numbers, courtesy of Gallup. (Source: CFO) Engagement and enthusiasm are down – only 31% of workers feel engaged at work, marking a decade low in workplace enthusiasm.
This drop highlights a critical disconnect in how well employees understand their roles and feel valued by their organizations. As leaders come to grips with these engagement challenges, the focus needs to turn to refining management strategies to better meet workers' needs for clarity, care, and development. (Oh, and don’t forget, you need to do this for multiple generations that make-up your workforce.)
So what should you do? Here are two ideas to consider:
=Role Clarity & Development Pathways: Drive engagement by ensuring that every team member clearly understands their role and how it contributes to the organization's goals. Combine this with clear career pathways and development opportunities to maintain enthusiasm and commitment to growth. And then show them how well they’re doing staying on the path.
=Managerial Upskilling for Engagement: Invest in training managers to champions engagement by equipping them with the skills to provide continuous feedback, recognize achievements, and foster a supportive team environment. You can’t do this alone – ask for help! This approach not only boosts engagement but also enhances overall team performance and morale.
Tired of feeling like your teams are just going through the motions...but can't do anything about it? Want to explore more and review your own employee engagement? Here if you need me.
'Going through the motions - get it?' (Mike Lawrence/DALL-E)
This article is a little out-of-date (by that I mean it’s a week old which might as well be years ago). BUT, there are some strong threads in here that are worth your time if you are in a position of leadership and are trying to understand what the last two weeks of Trump 47 trade/tariffs mean for businesses. (Source: Chief Executive)
What hiring managers should know about the 2025 labor market.
If you’re wondering why I’m sharing this…well, two reasons:
=A fair amount of BT subscribers are in the HR space.
=Quite honestly, as most of those HR folks would tell you – hiring is something that goes far beyond their group. Internal comms teams – it’s critical you understand what the landscape looks like for potential and incoming employees (as well as how existing employees may be looking at the market).
(Source: Manufacturing Dive)
Organic Social Media, unlike other organic items, costs less (and is still good for you.)
Mike Lawrence/DALL-E
As we gear up for 2025, it’s time to rethink social media strategies, focusing on the power of organic growth. Think of organic social media as nurturing a garden: you cultivate your audience with valuable content and regular interaction, growing genuine relationships. This doesn’t mean it’s the only method you use – look, you still need fertilizer for your garden, but you wouldn’t JUST use fertilizer. (And this is where we will stop the garden comparison, promise.)
But organic is a lower cost option that also builds a more authentic connection with your audience, proving especially effective in the manufacturing sector where trust and credibility are key. (Source: Marketing Dive)
(This is probably a good time to mention you need a strong content program to fully leverage an organic approach.)
Report looks at the average performance of social media posts.
Guess what – TikTok rules! (Source: Social Media Today)
'Super Bowl Flu' at all-time high. A record 22.6 million people say they planned to miss work the Monday after the Super Bowl, per UKG Workforce Institute data, up from 16.1 million last year. Post-Super Bowl absenteeism is so pronounced there’s a bill in Indiana trying to make Monday a holiday, along with various petitions requesting the same. (Source: Taylor Borden ‘The Work Shift’)
Just for fun: Who the hell is Uncle O’Grimacey?
Look. I am a poster child for the 80’s TV generation. And one trait we all shared was we were all in on McDonalds. Happy Meals, Charlie Brown collectible glasses, gift certificates in our Christmas stockings, this new thing called Chicken McNuggets, the Big Mac song on vinyl, the McDLT (look it up) – and of course, the return of the Shamrock Shake.
BUT I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF THIS UNCLE O’GRIMACEY!!!
Who are you?!?
He is now the main guy in a special crossover campaign, with Ancestory.com, where Grimace discovers the relative and they announce the return of the Shamrock Shake. Am I suffering from the Mandela Effect?? Who is this guy?!?!? (Source: Marketing Dive)
Thanks for reading!!! That's it for this week (isn't that enough?!) Feel free to share with anyone else you think would enjoy the articles and resources!
Thank you,
Ben