Self-Assessment
Keep Learning -- You will not only understand new concepts, but will be known as a trendsetter who is moving forward.
Build and Nurture a Strong Network -- Keep in touch with colleagues in your field so you can support each other in embracing changes.
Rely on Your Track Record -- Have you been able to successfully make changes required in different facets of your...
You wake up after a fitful night of sleep, travel for 45 minutes in a dangerous environment with hostile strangers around you, and get bombarded with unfamiliar information. Sound like you are in a foxhole during wartime? Nah ... that describes how many of us feel just driving to work every day. In today's environment, we are subjected to so much stress that we often...
Conflict is inevitable. Humans simply think differently based upon experience, gender, culture and infinite other factors. Even though conflict is a basic part of communication, many are uncomfortable dealing with it. Remember the first-graders who got an "Excellent" in the category "Plays Well with Others" on their report card? The same basics still apply.
Basic...
"Problems are only opportunities in work clothes."
-- Henry J. Kaiser
More often than not, there are many ways to address a problem. Remember, obstacles constitute only 10% of what happens in our lives; the other 90% is how we react to them. We have all been faced with overwhelming situations. The trick is to use them as learning opportunities to help us face new...
There is nothing like having a great boss. In fact, retention studies show that having an enjoyable working relationship is the key reason employees remain with an organization.
When employees feel unappreciated, trapped, bored and restless, their natural response is to act exactly how the boss fears they will: They learn how to do just enough to get by. Before you...
Over the course of a military career, we experience a wide range of emotions, develop a myriad of time-tested beliefs and draw great comfort from the institutions we serve. We face the stress of combat or combat preparation; our families endure the all-too-frequent geographic separations or "Permanent Change of Station" (PCS) relocations; and we know that financial...
Employees dread the performance review because no one likes to lose control over their own destiny. They resent that their manager can make a difference in long-term career prospects for promotion, as well as financial gain associated with subsequent pay raises. While employees fully understand that a performance review is supposedly tied to performance (over which...
"Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery."
-- Dr. Joyce Brothers
Giving and receiving honest, direct, concise feedback is a tool that is misused more often than not. Many of us choose to avoid conflict -- even at the cost of growth -- and we end up glossing over the truth.
The same process applies at work. We all have met colleagues who tell...
"I wish I'd said that." At some point or another, we've probably all wished we could erase what was just said and try again. Fortunately, with some practice, we can learn to say it better the first time. Outlined below are some tips to help you develop your communication style and improve your communication effectiveness.
1. Decide what you want as the outcome of the...
Continuing of Part One.
In Part One of my series on age discrimination in the workplace, I stated that it is "alive and well" in this country. There are several tactics that can be used by those 40 and older to help combat this problem. This is a continuation of strategies that may prove helpful in overcoming age bias.
Keep Networking
Older workers have at least one...
How do you get your employer to pay you what you are worth? First, schedule a compensation review -- not just your last six months' performance, but a review of your worth to the company and the marketplace. Schedule a day, time and place with your boss, and make sure it is on his or her calendar. Next, be prepared to do some research. Follow the steps below and you...
The concept of strategic management surfaced in the 1950s, when business schools introduced a course called Business Policy. It was designed to teach business majors analytical skills to solve problems for a business entity as a whole.
The name of the course was later changed to Strategic Management to encompass the wide array of issues previously not addressed in...
A recent headline in the Tampa Tribune read, "7 men win $19 million in age-bias lawsuit." The sub-caption read, "A federal jury sends an insurance company an expensive message against age discrimination in the workplace." With so many experienced workers entering their 40s and 50s, it is difficult to understand the widespread nature of age bias in this country. This...
It's easy pickings out there. Jobs are abundant, unemployment is low, and there are so many vehicles available to find those jobs. Everyone should be able to get the job they want -- right? Yes and no. While an unprecedented job market leads one to believe there is no excuse for not finding a job, finding the right one is not always so easy.
We've all seen the lists...
Everyone has experienced meeting someone with whom they felt either instantly comfortable or disliked for no apparent reason. Every day, we face the challenge of being understood and accurately interpreting others. We are actually more likely to misinterpret something we hear or read than to correctly decipher every nuance in a discussion.
Numerous organizational...
