That title is for John Sumser – one more colloquialism for the recruiting world.  The Wall Street Journal offers up this article to discuss mothers re-entering the workforce after taking extended time off (years) to raise their family.

I have a soft spot in my heart for this topic since my wife recently reentered the workforce after taking 8 years off.  It took her some time, but she landed an ideal position at a medical clinic.  That isn’t always the case:

Though 74% do find work, only 40% say they are gainfully employed in full-time, mainstream jobs. “There is still a tremendous amount of stigma and suspension when employers see a hole in a resume,” says Ms. Hewlett.

I would hope that hiring managers do not equate being a full-time mom with being unemployed.  I would argue that being a mom does not constitute a hole in one’s resume (but I am not objective on this topic).

And, to facilitate that transition, a whole new industry of coaching and staffing firms as well as corporate and educational programs have popped up. “This talent pool is more and more necessary” and there is a growing recruiting effort to target parents returning to work, says Meryle Mahrer Kaplan, vice president of advisory services at Catalyst.

This is a great talent pool that should be tapped as the boomers retire.  Finally, one piece of advice from the article that worked well for my wife:

In your resume and—and later in interviews—be sure to take the mystery out of the time away from work. If you’ve taken on projects at schools and charities and used some of the skills from your career, highlight those volunteer experiences and any bottom-line or eye-catching results from the projects.

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Remember the book, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? Perhaps not, unless you are a seasoned vet like I am, but the premise is still sound. Today I was reminded of the power of principle centered leadership.

This morning I attended a meeting of the Manufacturers Alliance, a group of 300 or so manufacturers here in Minnesota who share best practices, lead training seminars and otherwise help their peers get better. The keynote speaker was Tom Tiller, CEO of Polaris Industries.

Tom’s message was so crystal clear I need to share it. Polaris, he told us, has increased its value by 150 times in the last 20 years (despite intense competition, wars and several economic ‘downturns’) because of one thing – people.

Tom said they treat their employees like gold, foster a culture of innovation and participation, and make sure they get and stay close to their customers. “It’s our passion for outdoor activities like snowmobiling and off-roading that drives our contact with customers. We use the product together and talk about what could make it better. I am with customers, using our products, more than 200 days a year.”

Wow! That’s a lot of time with customers. That’s a lot of time actually using the product. That’s a lot of time spent listening – to both employees and customers.

Tom ended his presentation with a quick story about his employees’ passion and commitment – during spring flooding a few years ago in Roseau, Minnesota, both the company’s plant and many employee homes were threatened. More than 400 Polaris employees showed up at the plant to help sandbag for 48 hours straight (Tom among them). They watched their houses float away but managed to save the plant.

What’s so simple about Polaris’ strategy? A clear and unshakable faith that success will come if they focus on their two most important constituencies – their customers and their employees. It wasn’t their strategic planning, their marketing plan or the way they organized their shop floor.

Does it work? Well, one would expect discretionary lifestyle purchases like snowmobiles, ATVs and the like to be down these days. Instead, Tom told us this morning, Polaris expects a 22% increase in sales this quarter.

Simple.

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