When one door closes,

How long do we wait until another one opens?

How long do we stall, our hands floating above the doorknob wondering

What lies beneath?

The anxiety floats through on a wave,

Rippling into existence.

The excitement crashes down upon it,

Creating a shockwave beneath it.

You shake away the feeling,

Reminding yourself that you are in charge.

With a gulp

The door swings open.

Your sweaty hand turns into eager footsteps as you step through the threshold.

Sunlight filters through.

A whole new world stands before you.

Chuckling to yourself

You remember.

This new beginning is for you.

In general, there are two types of job markets.

The candidate-driven market
The employer-driven market

As it stands today, the United States is in a candidate-driven job market. What exactly is that and what does it mean for job seekers?

What is a Candidate-Driven Job Market?

A candidate-driven job market sees candidates with the upper hand rather than employers. What this means is that jobs are abundant, employers are in need, and job seekers call the shots.

What Does It Mean for Candidates?

There is plenty of room to negotiate pay, perks, and benefits.
Companies are reducing experience requirements. This can open up the path to a new (or dream) job for candidates.
Upskilling and training are more prevalent, and companies are more willing to provide these opportunities to get someone in the door. With this, candidates turn “weaknesses” into strengths and build their repertoire of skills by participating in the upskilling and training process.
Companies are changing “must-haves” to “nice-to-haves.” Candidates should (and can) apply for jobs even if they can’t check the box for every requirement.
Passive candidates can get to know the playing field. What’s out there? How in-demand are their skillset? Where can they earn more, and how can they use that information to negotiate better pay with their current employer?

In this current, candidate-driven job market, it’s all about the job seeker. But that’s nothing new for FlexTrades.

FlexTrades values and, has always valued, its Technicians (candidates).

Join the FlexTrades team today to experience top-notch pay, the opportunity to travel, and the ability to work and learn new skills with some of the best manufacturers in the United States!

If you’re new(er) to manufacturing, don’t worry. We have that covered, too! Join our ReTool team for the opportunity to learn from the best, increase your skillet and train for your dream job.

Are you craving a coffee run while also trying to be mindful of your health? This former barista has some tricks up her sleeve to help you lessen your sugar intake, up your protein goals, and trim your budget without losing that wonderful taste.

Let’s Start with the Basics

Don’t be afraid of substitutions – This is going to be the key to adjusting your drink to fit your health goals.
It won’t be perfect the first try – Take note of what you wish it had and refer back to this guide.

Picking a Base

Are you an espresso lover? Traditional coffee? Cold press? These are perfect bases for healthy alternatives. You need to identify what you want the heart of your drink to be.
Espresso will pack more of an immediate punch; this is the base for our beloved mochas and lattes. Feel like you don’t get enough espresso? Try an Americano! Americanos typically have double the espresso when compared to a latte, and it can be made hot or over ice.

Do you love traditional coffee but want an extra punch? Ask for a depth charge! This is one espresso shot added to your daily cup of joy.

Cold press is the beloved, 12-hour brewed, icy goodness that’s made to fill any iced drink. Did you know that if you order a cold press with caramel sauce the creaminess makes it taste like a latte? It’s one of my favorite go-to drinks that has a lower price point and extra caffeine.

Let’s Talk Milk

When it comes to cost, milk is the biggest factor. Adding milk to your coffee can sometimes double the price of your favorite cup. However, picking a base and adding a splash of milk, or a milk alternative, can make all the difference. Some franchises even have protein-friendly milk options with less sugar.

Flavor Time

My suggestion here is to ask for sugar free substitutes. Many coffee shops have a variety of syrups that are sugar free. That being said, if you find that that the Toasted White Mocha syrup is too good to miss out on, ask for a half shot. A typical medium coffee can have four-to-five pumps of syrup in each drink. Getting two or three pumps instead can still give you the satisfying taste without the added calories.

Need Inspiration?

I’ve got you covered!

MacroBarista shares recipes daily on their website and across TikTok. These recipes can help you follow your health goals and save you money!

My Go-To Caribou Dupe

I absolutely love and adore a Campfire Mocha with White Chocolate. How in the world do I make this any healthier?

A Caribou Crafted Press is the answer! The crafted press has a similar taste to any of Caribou’s signature creations with the purpose of being a healthy alternative.

A Crafted Press has a cold-pressed base with a splash of cream and the milk of your choice. This drink includes one pump of any flavor. I add one pump of marshmallow syrup and a half-pump of white chocolate. This has been my go-to for the past four years now. I really love it, and I think you will, too!

Looking for more health and wellness tips? Check out the Health & Wellness section of the FlexTrades’ blog!

Sales Coaching vs. Sales Management

In 2023, if you look up the definitions for “coach” and “manager,” you will get very interesting results. For example…

Coach – An instructor or trainer.
Manager – A person responsible for controlling or administering all, or part, of a company or similar organization.

At first glance, one sounds helpful and fun while the other sounds a little stifling and strict, right?

Let me share a little story with you. Some years ago, a previous company I was working for hired a new manager for our team. At first, everything was okay. After some time, however, chinks in the armor slowly started to show. I quickly realized that the company had hired one of the worst candidates they could have found for this position. I was easily convinced that because of his actions, his lack of leadership skills and lack of modeling by example, there was nothing I could learn from this new manager.

Boy, was I wrong.

I learned two very valuable lessons from that person. They are…

What not to do/how not to be.
How to write effective emails.

You see, although his leadership style was not ideal or effective for me or the team, it wasn’t until he sat me down to show me how to write effective emails that I learned how to expertly communicate with clients. In this scenario, he took the time to explain, model, and show me how to write emails that are clear, concise and cut straight to the value. It’s a skill that I still carry to this day.

Humble brag: I’ve been complimented on my email communications over the years, and I owe him that. I usually chuckle to myself when I share where I actually learned it from.

So, why did I share that story with you?

Many times, new leaders are hired and come into an organization with big ideas, big initiatives, and lofty titles but fail to see the big picture. In the professional world, we have job functions known as Sales Coaching and Sales Management. Today, I want to spend some time unpacking what I call “Sales Coaching for Success” so we can learn how to best apply the principles that make a Sales Coach effective while also avoiding the pitfalls of poor leadership.

What is “Sales Coaching for Success?”

Simply put, “Sales Coaching for Success” means coaching for positive progress through influence and modeling the way. Notice, I didn’t say perfection. I didn’t say results. Anyone can coach for results through metrics. But it is a leader who coaches for progress (in the right direction) that organically leads to positive impact within an organization.

I’ve worked with seasoned professionals. I’ve worked with new hires to the industry, and one thing remains consistent across both groups. People love to be invested in. A manager is great at micro-managing, reporting on metrics, holding people accountable to job expectations, and so on. A coach should be great at leading by example while inspiring and influencing people to greatness. Do you see the difference? You can make wine by crushing grapes, but its taste will vary depending on the process.

So, how do we accomplish “Sales Coaching for Success”?

I believe the way to achieve this goal is to apply the following principles. They can be applied to just about any other leadership role as well.

Principle #1 – Be available to your team.

A Sales Coach should make the time to spend the time. If we agree that people generally love being invested in, then we must make the time to invest in our team’s development. This takes time. This takes work. And your level of care (or lack thereof) for the individual will show over time.

Principle #2 – Own your team’s success.

A Sales Coach should be fully invested and own their team’s success; seeing their progress (or lack thereof) as a direct reflection of their influence and impact. If you, as a Sales Coach, don’t care about progress and small wins then why should your team?

Principle #3 – Inspire greatness.

To me, this is the most important principle on the list. A Sales Coach should always find ways to challenge their team(s) to go just beyond their current reach to achieve the team’s personal and professional goals. In other words, the coach puts the team’s goals front and center then helps them achieve those goals both individually and corporately.

A Sales Coach should leave people better than they found them. A Sales Coach should become all things to all people in order to win and encourage them to greatness. A Sales Coach needs to be someone who inspires greatness, motivation, and stimulates the team in a positive way.

As a quick sidenote, the goals of the team should always align with company goals to ensure both parties win.

The beautiful thing about this principle is that “greatness” is a subjective term that is defined by the people you are coaching and by you. This is a positive because, as you help your team grow, you can continue to inspire them to push beyond their old goals and on to new ones. What was “greatness” to a new sales rep in their first month on the job will look a lot different once they’re with you after five years… and so on.

Principle #4 – Be honest/transparent.

One of the biggest pitfalls we need to watch out for is not being honest with our team(s). I have this saying, “Transparency translates to trust” (the 4 T’s). The reason this is so critical is because your team can only grow with consistent, honest, and direct feedback — not “sugarcoated” feedback. The last thing a sales rep wants is to be told that they are killing it when, in fact, they are not. Typically, sales professionals love acknowledgement. They love a spotlight and some kudos. On the flipside, they need honest feedback to be able to know what isn’t working and what is. You owe it to your team to let them know how they are doing. Just like your leader owes it to you to share how you are doing.

Is this starting to make sense?

Another important component to keep in mind is this… if you don’t know the answer, don’t fake the funk! I would much rather have someone be honest with me about not knowing the answer to my question than have them give me an incorrect response with inaccurate information. As a Sales Coach, if you don’t know the answer, be the resource that helps them find the answer. You’re still bringing value.

Conclusion

I hope you can see that these principles don’t just apply within the sales world — they apply to just about any leadership role. The principles are universal. When applied correctly, these principles will help you and your team by gaining organic productivity increases and efficiencies. You will see improved sales/company culture. And you will help foster better team and collaborative environments. So, don’t just be a “boss.” Be a leader. Be available to your team. Own their success. Be honest/transparent. And inspire greatness! Coach for success and you will see the fruits of your labor. Remember, the coach is on the field too — they’re just on the sidelines.

Several years ago, I took a trip to DC to visit my sister, a US Air Force Master Sergeant (MSgt). We spent one day walking nearly 12 miles at the National Mall, hitting up all the “must see” places, including:

The White House (where the first Black president of the United States hopped into a helicopter and flew to Boston while we watched in awe)
The Washington Monument
The buds of the cherry blossoms as they were just starting to pop
A private tour of the US Capitol building with an intern from the Senator’s office
The WWII Memorial where we remembered our grandfathers
The Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial where we shaded in the names of complete strangers
The Lincoln Memorial
The grounds of the Korean War Veterans Memorial
The FDR Memorial to ‘fear nothing but fear itself’
The Tidal Basin
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

In the end, we got to watch the helicopters fly back overhead as President Obama returned from Boston that evening. It was an incredible day that still brings back so many emotions and memories. One thing that stands out to me is the simplicity and magnitude of the MLK Jr. Memorial. A giant piece of rock (30 feet high) with MLK Jr.’s image carved into it and the simple statement:

‘Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.’

Growing up in southwestern Minnesota, I learned how Martin Luther King Jr. had changed the world. It was on the grounds outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where I was lucky enough to take some time to ponder how different the world could have been had that fateful April day in 1968 never happened.

I learned to treat others the way I wanted to be treated, to befriend (and defend) anyone who looked like they needed a friend and to never take for granted the gifts and abilities I had. As one of four kids in a dual-income, lower-middle class family, we played with all the kids in the neighborhood and befriended the children who came in and out of the women’s shelter just behind our house. It never dawned on me that Josh was any different than me just because he had dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin while I had dark hair, dark eyes, and lighter skin. It didn’t occur to me that Judy might have bigger struggles than me because her tall, white father had fallen in love with a petite, beautiful black woman.

I’m hopeful that I’m doing as good of a job with my children as I believe my parents did with their own. However, I know that the world around us hasn’t gotten any better. We still have so far to go in fighting for MLK Jr.’s dream.

To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy (this link shares history of MLK Jr. Day), I leave you with two inspiring MLK Jr. quotes:

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

Create Habits and Stay Mindful in 2024

Happy New Year, everyone! 2024 is here whether you’re ready for it or not. The new-year pressure to make positive changes and set big goals can be overwhelming. Here are some tips on how to create habits and stay mindful.

Three Tips to Help Create Habits and Stay Mindful

1. Shift Your Mindset: “Your reality is a projection of your thoughts or the things you habitually think about.” – Stephen Richards, How to Get Everything You Can Imagine: Volume 1: How Mind Power Works

How to Have a Positive Mindset

Write down what you are grateful for.
Consume positive media.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Write out a “wins” checklist each day.
Create a morning mindset routine – Make sure you have one thing to look forward to that day.
Take inventory on your thoughts throughout the day.

2. The Two-Minute Rule: If it can be done in less than two minutes, just do it. Using the two-minute rule from the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. This rule helps get you started and build momentum.

Nearly Any Habit Can Be Scaled Down to a Two-Minute Version

“Read before bed each night” becomes “read one page.”
“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “take out my yoga mat.”
“Study for class” becomes “open my notes.”
“Fold the laundry” becomes “fold one towel.”
“Run three miles” becomes “tie my running shoes.”

3. Small Changes Big Results: Make your habits simple & easy.

How to Choose a Habit to Form (Source: CNN health)

Set a specific goal and start small.
Create a plan. Make the plan detailed and include time of day and duration.
Make it fun. Research shows if you do not enjoy the process, you will not stick to it.
Be flexible. Allow yourself a few “get out of jail free cards.” Sometimes things come up that will disrupt your plan. Consistency is key.
Find social support. Tell a friend / family member the habit you are working toward building.

Habit Example: I want to get more steps each day.

Specific Goal: I want to get at least 7,000 steps each day.
Plan: Each morning, I will begin my day with a 10-minute walk outside.
Make it fun: On Wednesdays, I will walk to my local coffee shop.
Flexibility: If it is snowing / raining outside, I will let myself skip the walk that day.
Support: Ask a friend to join me in tracking 7,000 steps each day.

List of Mindfulness Tips to Add to Your 2024 Routine:

Intentional Breathing – Set a timer 1-3 times a day to breathe with intention. The breath counts should be a 5 second inhale / 5 second exhale / 5 times kind of thing. Simply put, try intentional / controlled breathing for at least 60 seconds.
Stretching through the motions – Create time throughout the day to do simple stretches: arms, neck, and back.
Eat with meaning – Eat with your less dominant hand and wait a few seconds before taking your next bite. When possible, eat without TV, phone or external entertainment.
Sleep Preparation – Find a set time to wake up and go to bed. Wake up 5 minutes earlier. Eliminate screen time 10-30 minutes before bed and instead try reading for 10 minutes each night.

Do you want more tips and tricks on how to start your new year off right? Check out Debunking New Year’s Resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions Redone – “Debunking Resolutions”

New Year’s resolutions are often cited as the unattainable goals we set in January, and they are iconic for being forgotten in the new year. The truth is this – you don’t need to set a specific date to start a goal. In fact, my New Year’s resolution started last November, and I’m continuing it in 2023.

Putting pressure onto the meaning of a resolution implies that, after you complete it, there’s no other work to do. I’m here to help debunk new year’s resolutions and hopefully inspire you to create and maintain realistic and meaningful goals in your life… all year round.

My New Year’s Resolution in 2022

In 2022, I was determined to take control of my health. I vlogged (Video Blogged) every morning and talked about the good, the bad and the in between when it comes to weight loss. Two months later, my goal disappeared. Lack of motivation and passion were surely not the issues, so what went wrong?

Focusing on a diet plan outside of my budget range
Putting pressure on perfection with no room for error
Ignoring short-term goals within a long-term plan
Failing to figure out the why

Create Your Goals

Let’s talk about how you can avoid the same four mistakes that I made and crush your goals in 2023. First, we need to discuss SMART Goals. What is a SMART goal? I’m so glad you asked. Check out the graphic below.

Need help identifying SMART goals? Microsoft Office offers this free template: here.

Now, you may have learned about SMART goals in school, but let’s break them down a little bit, shall we? SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and monitored over time. Truthfully, these are, what I like to call, goals with intention. We discuss the power of manifestation, and this will help you achieve your goals. The reality is that when you sit down to create a goal, you immediately plan the steps you need to take in order to accomplish it. When a resolution is set, there’s no thought process. It’s just a desire you would like to achieve someday.

Setting Goals is all About Intent

The intent to do something can make your dream a reality. If you intend to get a promotion at your job by the end of the year, you are more likely to take the steps that are necessary to getting there. This is when the plan starts to map itself out:

Assisting with extra projects
Expressing specified interests in your quarterly reviews
Setting a timeline
Self-Assessing your current project completion

These simple steps are prime examples of SMART goals in action. You specified by the end of the year that you want that promotion. You measured the goal by pinpointing prime areas; areas in which you can showcase that you’re ready for new responsibilities. These goals are made attainable through your self-assessment and quarterly review check-ins. The promotion then becomes realistic as this plan fits within your daily routine and works with your schedule. You identified the time by stating when the promotion is happening and how often you would touch base to check on this goal.

Starting a 2023 Resolution in November

Yes, I started my New Year’s Resolution in November of 2022. And while the new year is a great time to reevaluate change in your life, my goal this year couldn’t wait. Again, my goal was to lose weight and take control of my health.

My initial resolution in 2022 resulted in me losing two lbs., or about one pound a month.

My resolutions for 2023 remained the same, but by creating SMART goals, I have been able to lose approximately 10 lbs. in the past two months, or about five pounds a month.

I am following the same exact routine this year as I did last year, but this time I found resources within my budget to ensure that my goal was both attainable and realistic. I now have weekly goals, a 6-month goal, and an end-of-year goal to keep me motivated and moving forward. These goals are accompanied by a realistic, imperfect schedule that works for me.

Next Steps

Debunk those new year’s resolutions, and don’t lose sight of what you want to achieve. Use SMART goals, think about your passions, and place intent behind these ideas. Watch your goals become reality, discuss them with those close to you, and enjoy the view as that New Year’s resolution voodoo simply fades away.

Robots Aren’t Coming for Your Jobs

Have you heard about Industry 4.0? It’s the fourth industrial revolution. The first was about mechanization and happened in the 18th century. The second occurred during the 19th century and centered around electrification. The 20th century saw the third, which was all about computers. Now we’re in the 21st century and smack dab in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution. This revolution is about what are called cyber-physical systems – the convergence of machine and computer. Industry 4.0 is evidenced by automation, robotics, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and the ongoing move towards “lights out” manufacturing.

Most of you have heard about Industry 4.0, you just don’t realize it. This is because most of what you’ve heard has been misrepresented. In general, talk about the fourth industrial revolution starts with, “The robots are coming to take our jobs!” Does that ring a bell? I’m here to tell you, that isn’t going to happen.

133 million Jobs Expected to be Created

We expect technology (like robots and larger automation processes) to eliminate a lot of jobs around the world. According to a oft-cited study conducted jointly by Hays and Oxford Economics, it can be expected that technology will “cull” 75 million jobs globally by the end of this decade. That’s an undeniably huge number, so why am I saying that the worries about robots taking jobs are being misrepresented? Because an even larger number mentioned in that same study never seems to get the same amount of attention. That number is 133 million, and it’s mentioned in reference to the number of jobs we expect to be CREATED by technology during that same time frame. That’s an almost 2:1 ratio and means that robots and technology are expected to create 100% more jobs than they eliminate worldwide!

Why People are Worried

Why, then, is everybody so worried about robots? In my opinion, it’s mostly because people inherently dislike change. Technology’s biggest benefit to industry (whether manufacturing, finance, retail, etc.) is to move the variable (in most cases, that’s the human element – you) further and further from where machine (mill, lathe, pen, phone call, point of sale, etc.) and material (metal, wood, receipt, service, etc.) meet. This is because that intersection is where errors, inefficiencies, and injuries happen most often. By moving that wild card (you), technology can help deliver better results while simultaneously making jobs safer.

Technology will Change Today’s Jobs

There’s a silver lining – technology is making our human jobs easier, safer, and more secure every day. So, what’s the bad news? It’s that technology will cause those same jobs to change continuously and consistently throughout a career. And that’s not going to change. This is also why a skills gap exists today. We have the jobs. We have the people to fill them. But those people don’t currently possess the skills needed to fill those jobs. The skills gap has led to a hiring shortfall of over 2 million people in American manufacturing alone!

Opportunities for Employers

What does this mean for you? If you’re an employer, it means that your workforce headaches aren’t going away anytime soon. FlexTrades can help with that, if needed. Visit our website to learn more about our manufacturing solutions.

Opportunities for Employees

If you’re an employee, this means that the robots are making more employment opportunities for you than ever before. McKinsey expects somewhere between 75 million and 375 million workers will eventually be “displaced” by technology. The sheer scale of opportunity for career advancement for workers worldwide is mind boggling when you think about it. You just need to keep growing your knowledge and skills, along with the technological advances of your industry, to ensure that you can benefit.

Already in manufacturing or the skilled trades? We could be a good employment option for you! Browse our jobs and bookmark our blog page.

Do you have a topic you’d like to learn more about? Send it to our Writing Team and we’ll try to cover it in a future blog.

We’re kicking off the New Year with a new challenge in hopes of inspiring you to get moving, at your own pace, with a team around you to support your success.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to walk / run the Pan-American Highway together.

The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads that stretch from North America to South America. It spans 14 countries in total. As one of the longest roads in the world, we’ll be walking almost 19,000 miles; starting in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, before heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina.

Each Monday, until we collectively reach our destination, we are hoping that you will share your weekly steps / mileage with our Human Resources team. There is a shared document internal employees can access, and Technicians are welcome to email their steps to techbenefits@flextrades.com. We will then add all of the entries together each week to determine how far we’ve traveled while exploring some of the key places that we’ve seen along the way.

For the fun and spirit of a little friendly competition, I’d like to propose a race: Corporate FlexTrades’ Employees vs. FlexTrades Technicians who are actively out on assignment. With this, our corporate employees will be walking / running side by side against our Technicians to see who can get to our destination faster. In the end, participants from either team who cross the finish line first will be entered into a drawing for some truly incredible prizes.

Get your walking sneakers ready… our journey has begun! This means that you will submit your first week’s mileage / steps on Monday, January 9th. Do you have any questions? Let me know, and I will be more than happy to help.

Are you looking for your next career at an organization that cares about its culture and employees’ wellbeing? Browse our jobs board online, and see if FlexTrades could be a good fit for you!