You Always Have a Job (Even if You’re Unemployed)
In Harvard Business, Daisy Wademan Dowling advocates a strong mindset of treating unemployment as a temporary condition, and how to make sure you get out of the slump fast. “Before, your work was to work — now, it’s to find work. Either way, you’re en route. You’re still making progress. You’re still moving towards the next job, the next phase of your career, your next building block, towards making your total career contribution. The trick to getting to the next destination safely? As hard as it is, you’ve got to help yourself ditch the shame — yes, I said “shame” — of being Unemployed, and get your usual energy back. You’ve got to get yourself ready to go to that cocktail party — or an interview — looking, acting, and feeling like the champ you really are.”

Team Building in a Down Economy
On her blog, Janet Rudolph shares an interview by Maria Lenhardt on the effects of corporate downsizing on employee morale. “A lot of companies have merged or reorganized, she says. In these cases, there s a real need to bring people together and build morale and trust. You can do things that are competitive, but in a non-threatening way. Along with building morale, facilitators also say team building serves an important purpose in getting people unplugged from an increasingly technological environment.”

Marketing Business Services in a Down Economy
Miranda Miller of Suite101 shares some creative freelance professional advertising tips. “In tough economic times, companies can’t always afford to hire another staff member, or they may have a certain need that simply can’t be done in-house. Some freelance professionals use freelance agencies or job auction websites to connect with these buyers. However, the fees charged by those organizations can be steep; many charge a monthly fee plus a percentage of every project completed. Marketing business services without giving an agency a huge cut is possible with these three e-commerce business services marketing tips.”

8 Money-Saving Tips to Support Local Economy
Also from Suite101, Victoria Anisman-Reiner encourages everyone to spend locally to prop up neighborhood businesses. “Feeling the need to tighten belts against the economic downturn? Despite predictions of gloom and doom, there are ways to gather local support and help oneself and others through tough times. With every eye on the economy, it’s never been easier to save money on gas, food, childcare and more by pooling resources and buying within the neighborhood to support local economy.”

Savings In an Uncertain Economy
The Dollar Stretcher’s Gary Foreman proposes an alternative financial strategy for these extraordinary times. “At a time when unemployment has jumped from 5.5% a year ago to 9.4% in May, 2009 it’s understandable that people are concerned about their jobs. And their response has been predictable. The personal savings rate (personal savings as a percent of disposable personal income) was 5.7% in April, 2009. That’s a 14 year high. The same BEA report indicated that personal consumption expenditures (PCE) declined by 0.1%. In other words, many of us have shifted from spending money to saving money.”

7 fast fixes for your credit scores
Liz Pulliam Weston details how you can turn around credit scores while avoiding costly mistakes on MSN Money. “You’ve got plenty of company. There are more than 30 million people in the United States with credit blemishes severe enough (and credit scores under 620) to make obtaining loans and credit cards with reasonable terms difficult. Or maybe your credit is OK, but you’d like to make it better. After all, the better your credit, the lower the interest rates you can secure car loans and credit cards. And these days, having high credit scores is the one sure path to homeownership.”

Entrepreneurship up in down economy
On Forth Worth Business Press, John-Laurent Tronche talks about the resurgence of entrepreneurship as more prople rebuild with rising unemployment. “People who are downsized, or lose their jobs, for a while they’ll look for other employment but if they don’t find something they say, ‘What can I do for employment?’” said Brad Hancock, director of the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center at Texas Christian University. “I’d like to believe people dreamed of owning their own business and that’s their ultimate dream – to be their own boss. But they never had that push, that catalyst. Sometimes they aren’t intentional entrepreneurs but once they’re forced they become successful entrepreneurs.”

Recession Leadership: On Sinking the Boat, Missing the Boat, and Rocking the Boat
Bill Taylor of Harvard Business cites bold moves by companies and individuals during recessions that enabled them to leap ahead in his column Practically Radical. “The challenge for leaders in every field is to emerge from turbulent times with closer connections to their customers, with more energy and creativity from their people, and with greater distance between them and their rivals. The organizations that I admire are determined to offer a compelling alternative to a demoralizing status quo — as the only way to create a compelling future for themselves.”