02Jul

As Green Key Resources celebrates its 20th anniversary, founders Andrew Chayut, Robert Kahn, and Matt Kutin came together to reflect on the last two decades and share their thoughts on the company’s path to success. 

The founders expressed how honored they are to continue to lead Green Key’s talented employees. They remain humbled by the impact the company has made in the lives of countless employees, clients, and candidates. Join them as they take a trip down memory lane, explore the core values that have guided the firm’s growth, and look ahead to the exciting opportunities that await us in the future. Welcome to Green Key’s story.  

Reflecting on the Journey 

From our humble beginnings to becoming a leader in our industry, Green Key has witnessed tremendous growth, navigated industry shifts, and overcome challenges. We have maintained our core values and commitment to fostering an inclusive culture, while also harnessing the collective intelligence of our employees.  

Twenty years ago, our founders set out with a vision to create a workplace where every voice mattered, every idea had the potential to make a difference, and where a competitive yet healthy environment thrived. They believed in the power of diversity and collaboration to drive innovation and sustainable growth, and that belief continues to guide our firm today. 

“While growth introduced the necessary structure, I still feel the entrepreneurial spirit that ignited our inception persists, creating an environment that fosters innovation and collaboration,” said Rob. 

From our earliest days, we recognized the importance of embracing technology to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving landscape. “When thinking about how the industry has evolved, technology is at the forefront; and certainly, that’s the preeminent revolution in the way most companies operate across the spectrum. For us, it allowed us to increase our reach across our various offices and to dig deeper into our client’s multi-state needs,” said Andrew.  

 As pioneers in leveraging digital platforms for talent acquisition, Green Key has continuously adapted to industry trends, while employing the power of data analytics, AI-driven tools, and social media platforms to connect top talent with leading organizations. 

One of the hallmarks of our journey will always be the stories and experiences that encapsulate the spirit and culture of the firm. From the thrill of matching a candidate with their dream job to the satisfaction of helping a client build a high-performing team, each success story has reinforced our passion for what we do and the impact we make. 

The Bumps Along the Way 

Of course, the path to success has not been without its challenges. From economic downturns and industry disruptions, to fierce competition and talent shortages, Green Key has faced obstacles head-on by leveraging resilience, adaptability, and creativity to overcome adversity and emerge stronger than ever. 

At the heart of our success lies a set of core values that have guided our growth and shaped our culture. “Our core values encompass integrity, well-being, growth of our teams, innovation, teamwork, persistence, education, and learning to stay relevant,” said Rob.  

Integrity, transparency, and professionalism are not just buzzwords for us – they are the foundation of every interaction, decision, and relationship we build. We believe in treating every candidate, client, and colleague with respect and dignity, while fostering trust and loyalty that extends far beyond transactions. 

Why Green Key? 

So, why do we choose to work at Green Key? It’s simple – because we believe in our mission, our values, and our vision for the future. We are driven by a shared passion for connecting talent with opportunity and making a meaningful impact in people’s lives. We provide a supportive and collaborative work environment where employees are empowered to grow, learn, and thrive.  

Our clients choose to work with us because they trust our expertise, integrity, and commitment to excellence. We take the time to understand their unique needs and challenges, offering tailored solutions and personalized service that deliver results. Our track record of success and long-term partnerships speak volumes about the value we bring to organizations of all sizes and industries. 

Our candidates choose to work with us because they know we have their best interests at heart. We are not just recruiters – we are career advisors, mentors, and advocates. We take the time to understand their skills, aspirations, and values, matching them with opportunities that align with their goals and ambitions. Our dedication to their success sets us apart and makes us their trusted partner in their career journey. 

The Future 

“The future is now for our firm, with the rollout of so many new recruiting tools to analyze and predict our own performance trends. It’s never been about imagining a particular size or geography of our firm,” mentions Andrew. “It’s always been about building an organic mesh of incredible people who will collaborate using new and established mediums to build exciting pathways to great clients and candidates that fuel the economy.” 

So, there’s no doubt that as technology continues to reshape the recruiting industry, we will remain committed to staying at the forefront of innovation; leveraging emerging tools and strategies to deliver even greater value to our clients and candidates. 

 As we celebrate 20 years of Green Key Resources, we are grateful for the relationships we have built, the challenges we have overcome, and the opportunities that lie ahead. With a firm foundation of values, a culture of vision, and a passionate team by our side, we are excited to write the next chapter of our story and continue making a difference in the world of recruiting.  

Productivity Is a System Problem

Productivity is about systems, not people, says the Harvard Business Review.

Sure, there are hacks and techniques each of us can use to filter out the noise, but in the end, writes Daniel Markovitz, “The most effective antidote to low productivity and inefficiency must be implemented at the system level, not the individual level.”

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“94% of most problems and possibilities for improvement belong to the system, not the individual,” he says, citing the case made by W. Edwards Deming in his book Out of the Crisis. “I would argue that most productivity improvements belong there as well.”

This is a particularly telling point for human resources professionals who are often tasked with providing training on time management. Markovitz says there’s nothing wrong with teaching techniques like Pomodoro, Inbox Zero or one of the many others. What’s necessary is to also address system inefficiencies.

That’s where he focuses his article, offering what he calls “four countermeasures.”

Tier your huddles

Whether you call them stand-ups, check-ins or huddles, Markovitz shows us how to use these meetings to avoid the inefficiency of “scattershot emails about a variety of problems.” Instead of kicking problems up the hierarchy, address problems at the lowest possible level. Problems that can’t be resolved at the staff huddle are the ones, and the only ones, to escalate to the next level huddle.

Make work visible

Because so much of office work is done by individuals working alone, it becomes invisible. Implementing a physical or virtual task board where every task is represented along with who is handling it not only makes a more equitable distribution of work, it also eliminates status check emails and the need to cover that topic in meetings.

Markovitz suggests making downtime equally as visible. Instituting “predictable time off” allows workers to know when someone is unavailable and react accordingly.

Define the “bat signal”

Pointing out that Batman knew flashing the symbol of a bat in the sky meant a crisis, Markovitz suggests companies adopt something similar to indicate when an issue is a real emergency.

“With no agreement on what communication channel to use, workers are forced to check all digital messaging platforms to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. That’s toxic to productivity. Companies can make work easier for people if they specified channels for urgent and non-urgent issues.”

Align responsibility with authority

“If an employee is responsible for an outcome, they should have the authority to make the necessary decisions without being forced into an endless string of emails, meetings, or presentations,” writes Markovitz.

“The pursuit of individual productivity is healthy and worthwhile,” he agrees, though the value is limited because of all the pulls and tugs by others.

“To make a real impact on performance, you have to work at the system level.”

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl | Image by Gerd Altmann

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Why Is the Cybersecurity Gap Growing?

In 2016 Cisco estimated there were a million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide. Last November, (ISC)2, the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, said the world was short 4 million cybersecurity professionals.

Why has the gap widened?

Dice.com, the tech careers site, says the reasons are numerous. Two, though, stand out, Dice says in a recent post:

  1. “Many cybersecurity workers feel constrained by a lack of career development and training offered to them.”
  2. “Enterprises that need highly-skilled and motivated employees to ensure the business is secure are not taking the right steps to nurture the talent needed to make that happen.”

To explain that, Dice cited a survey by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), which revealed that 68% of the cybersecurity professionals feel they have no well-defined career path. Most moved into security because of a personal interest after first working in different IT areas.

Steve Durbin, managing director of the Information Security Forum, told Dice there’s a disconnect between human resources and security teams. HR doesn’t understand what skills are important, nor does it recognize the mental and physical toll cybersecurity takes.

“This hinders the organization’s ability to identify relevant talent and provide adequate support for the professional development of the security workforce,” Durbin said.

It’s easy to get “pigeonholed,” Morgan Mango, a cybersecurity researcher, says. As an example, she says someone working in PKI early in their career might get tagged as a specialist, limiting their options.

“I would always suggest people to find a job in cybersecurity that’s very flexible and very broad in terms of job description and tasks,” Mango told Dice.

Organizations have a responsibility to encourage development of their security professionals.

“To build a sustainable security workforce,” Durbin said, “Organizations should adapt to market demands by seeking candidates with diverse competencies and skill sets coupled with providing competitive benefits and structured career development. For some these changes are already underway but for the majority, the approach is still new and untried.”

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

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