Work doesn’t provide just the means of acquiring the basic necessities of life, though that is critical. It enhances the soul and the brain.
When I refer to work, I include all types of employment — salaried, commissioned, hourly, permanent, temporary, and freelance. I also add volunteering; military service, and last but not least, children. For play is the work of children. [Read more…]
Corporations, not-for-profits, and governments are comprised of staff. Most employers are essentially doers and some managers. Where I see the deficit is in the number of true leaders. Not that the opportunities to lead don’t exist at many levels (there is a misconception held by many that leaders are only at the top and all people at the top are leaders) but organizations often fail to recognize, foster, and reward leadership skills. Most people don’t see themselves in the role. Can you be a manager and be a leader, of course you can, but you can also be a manger who doesn’t lead? Yes. [Read more…]
Early in my corporate career a tragedy occurred. An intern was brutally murdered. The victim of a hate crime — gay bashing. I will never forget this shocking, sad, event.
The impact on me was also astonishing, particularly with hindsight.
I had been called to my boss’s office and told the horrific news. He then informed me, “I want you to handle this and speak with the Junior staff.” Before I could even consider the magnitude of the order or admit my ineptitude for such a role, I found myself walking into a room to face six interns who I now had to tell what had happen to their friend and try to support them. You can only imagine their shock, grief, and anger. We must have talked for hours. [Read more…]
Brainstorming, bullpens, open door policies, team white boarding, group think — behaviors and beliefs held in high esteem and ever-present in today’s workplace. However, are they effective in generating great ideas? Two, eight, twenty people with hundreds of ideas are better than one. Right? Maybe not. Do introverts know something extroverts don’t? [Read more…]
End of year is performance review time. The process can take months but the actual delivery is often swift and blunt. What happens when the news is negative, a poor performance review, or not what you expected?
A less than stellar review can sometimes be the best thing that will ever happen to your career. It forces you to reassess your performance, goals, and aspirations. You wouldn’t be the first person to make a major change for the better in performance or location because of a negative review. [Read more…]
I recently spoke to a group of about ten dynamic women who were brought together by a colleague, so they could network and support one another. Regardless of what the invite might have called them, this was the beginning of a Mastermind Group. I strongly encouraged them to commit to the process, relating my own positive networking experiences having been a longtime member of a Mastermind Group. [Read more…]
I try to read all of the books on the Wall Street Journal’s Business Best Seller List. Most have interesting ideas and their language seeps into the lexicon of the world I coach. Keeps me knowledgeable and fluent.
If you haven’t read “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson I suggest you take a look. It is a more developed version of his well known Wired article (October 2004). Mr. Anderson is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Wired. He was formerly a researcher at the Los Alamos. [Read more…]
I had an interesting and rewarding time working with the leadership team of a fast growing company at their annual offsite. With exploding growth, and partners working in top gear for months, if not years, they were ready for new and next steps to get them to an advanced level with less stress. They invited me to be their team coach. [Read more…]
The story tells of an interaction between a parent and his high school-age child. The adolescent presents with a report card of four As and one D-. Because of our prejudices and experiences, we the reader are inclined to think the parent is going to either lecture or at least focus on the low grade. We’re fooled. The father applies another strategy with an approach that I think is applicable to leading and managing others, and useful in our own self-management. [Read more…]
Having been on both sides of the layoff table I can tell you with great confidence that few employment decisions are based strictly on contribution or goal attainment. Don’t get me wrong, making money for the firm is important, doing superior work is essential; however, there is that less tangible side, which often determines what column your name gets placed in. This article’s tips address some of those softer, less obvious issues, on how not to get laid off. [Read more…]