Greater Milwaukee Jobs

2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • March 3, 2016 How to adjust to a sudden change in bosses & A Q A. First things first: Keep doing your job and doing it well. One of the challenges he will face is just making sure the lights stay on and all of the team's responsibilities are met as he adjusts. The more you and your colleagues can help him in this basic way, the better. At the same time, go into "listen and learn" mode. There are reasons your old boss is gone; what can you learn from that in terms of the direction your company wants to go? Is it a change in strategy that your former boss may not have endorsed, or is the direction the same but she couldn't deliver? Pay attention to what you have been told directly as well as the more subtle cues you can pick up. Then explore your nervous- ness. Do you tend to get nervous in general when change comes along? If so, here's your chance to practice adaptability. Great things arise from change (your former boss will probably discover this, too, once the shock wears off). And your circumstances will change whether you embrace this or not, so learning to thrive in times of change will serve you well. Of course, your nerves may have a different cause, especially if you were your former boss' right-hand person. In that case, you may be at risk of being seen as "old guard" and need to be vis- ibly on board with the changes that are underway. So, let's think about your new world. First, you have to give your new boss the benefit of the doubt. Remember, "different" doesn't mean "bad." Make a list of all of his charac- teristics that stand out to you, and note whether adjusting to them will be easy or hard. Focus on ways he can help you develop professionally so that you are seeing the positive, even in the challenging aspects. Make a point of building a rela- tionship with him. Ask for regular one-on-one meetings, and set up a "getting to know you" lunch if he hasn't done so. If he is from outside the company, be a resource, and step up to help during the transition. Also be a voice in support of change.Your co-workers may well be nervous too, and helping everyone move forward will be a valuable contribution. Don't suc- cumb to gossip, and help people remain positive and keep their emotions under control. At the same time, recognize that there is some amount of distress that goes with the territory, so helping acknowledge that so you can all move forward also will make a difference. Finally, recognize that this change may not suit you in the end. If you choose not to be part of the new approach, do so with intention, and move forward in a planned and deliberate way. Instead of being nervous about the change, become a change agent yourself; it will benefit you in all aspects of life. Q. My boss lost her job suddenly; now there is someone new in charge and he has a very different management approach. I'm nervous and wondering what I need to do to make this work. By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. thousands of dollars, and started a new business and operated as a general con- tractor. His company – which has commercial projects in Detroit and nationwide – now has about 125 employees, with about $140 million in revenue. Here, in a conversation edited for clarity and space, he offered thoughts about the future of Detroit and the con- struction industry – and advice for other executives: Q: You have had – and have – construction projects in Detroit. What is your prog- nosis for the city? A: Oh my God, very good. Detroit is on a nice steady tra- jectory. I think over the next 15 years, there's going to be nice steady growth and opportunity, and over the next two decades it will be trans- formed. That's why we moved down here. We moved our construction office down here in 2013, less than three years ago. It was pretty early. We believed this where the opportunities are going to be. Q: In terms of skilled labor – and I realize your company doesn't do the actual construction, you're a general contractor – do you have any thoughts on what we need more of? A: Absolutely. There's a massive shortage of skilled labor in this town, which is very, very sad because skilled labor is a great career. It's highly respected profession in which people can make a living at and there's a tremen- dous shortage. I think there are a lot or reasons why, and I think there are some things that should be changed in our economy and philosophy. Community colleges should get in the game, and virtually every community college should have very robust trade school programs and give – whatever you call it, an asso- ciate's degree – in whether it be an electrician, a pipe fitter, a carpenter, a plumber, or whatever it may be. These are professions that are very important in our society – and people can make a great living. The whole idea that unless you graduate with a brain degree you are not respected. I think that's terrible. It ain't easy being a skilled trades- man. You have to understand the work, read blueprints, technology. Somehow, we have to change the mindset of that. Q: Is mindset a big part of why there aren't more skilled workers? A: I think a lot of it has to do with mindset. There has been this frowning upon in the education world that if you don't go to a four-year university, and get some brain profession as opposed to some kind of skilled labor, some how society views that one man ... from page 1 DEAR CARRIE: My wife and I were both born in 1950. She retired at age 62 and took reduced Social Security benefits. In addi- tion, she was a part-time state worker, and because of her pension from that job, her Social Security benefits were reduced even more. I still work and don't plan to start collecting Social Security until I am at least 66, my full-retirement age. The longer I wait, the higher my benefits will be. So my question is this: When I finally decide to apply for benefits, will my wife still be eligible for her benefit to be increased to half of my Social Security? Or will she have to settle for less than half because of her reduced benefits? – Spousal Benefits DEAR SPOUSAL: The government-pension offset definitely will play a key role in determining whether or not she will receive the spousal benefit. A spokeswoman in the regional office of the Social Security Administration in Manhattan explained the calculations, starting with the most basic information: Your wife's full Social Secu- rity benefit and how it interacts with yours and her government pension. "The wife will be eligible for spouse's benefits if her own full, unreduced bene- fit is less than one-half the husband's unreduced benefit," said the spokes- woman, Linda Lauria. The key words here are "her own full, unreduced pension," because that amount is used to help cal- culate her spousal benefits. So if your wife had been eligible for an unreduced benefit of $1,000 a month, and your full benefit works out to $2,400 a month, then half your benefit would be $1,200 a month. In that scenario your wife would receive an extra $200 month. But the calculations don't end here. Since your wife receives a government pension, her Social Security benefit would be subject to the Doing the math on spouse's Social Security benefits By Carrie Mason-Draffen Newsday (TNS) see ONE MAN . . . page 6 see SPOUSAL . . . page 6 A publication of Conley Media Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 24 March 3, 2016 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2016 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. 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