I’ve been hearing a theme from people and reading the advice columns of how often we are disappointed with our friends. It sounds like this: “I always do [fill in the blank] for her, but she never reciprocates.” “I was there for him, but now he’s too busy to help me.” Whether its remembering birthdays,Continue reading “Friends – What are you expecting?”
Tag Archives: Motivation
Mid-Level Contentment – Is There a Problem?
“I love my job. I’m excited to get up and come to work every morning! Yet, I’m being pressure to move into management. I’ve taken the management courses and don’t want to do the administrative chores required in those roles. What should I do?” Career management is a continuous cycle of assessment, exploration, planning andContinue reading “Mid-Level Contentment – Is There a Problem?”
What’s Your Professional Development Strategy?
The most frequent responses I get to this question is #1 Strategy: keep getting a paycheck and hope to get promoted;#2 Strategy for Free Agents: Keep current contract(s) or get new clients. I consider these non-strategies. Too many people approach learning something work-related as a task they have to do to keep their jobs orContinue reading “What’s Your Professional Development Strategy?”
Cash or Cachet?
You find a great job opportunity but discover the salary is lower than you expected. Several years ago, I was thrilled when I could tell people I worked for The Washington Post because I no longer had to explain who, where or what they did. Then I moved briefly to a very large organization thatContinue reading “Cash or Cachet?”
Two Key Questions for Your Next Job
“Why are you interested in this job?” This is a standard interviewer’s question, or should be. The hiring manager is wise to ask about your motivations to determine if you’ll be a good fit with the team and organization. In looking for your next job, your first step is having a good idea of whyContinue reading “Two Key Questions for Your Next Job”
Accomplishments: Meaning in the Mundane
The key to every self-performance appraisal, resume,and interview is capturing our accomplishments. Many of us don’t feel we have any because we just come in and do our jobs. Others of us believe that our good work will get noticed by others and we don’t have to remind them. We are carefully taught not toContinue reading “Accomplishments: Meaning in the Mundane”
Adaptability & Flexibilty are Top Workplace Skills
The international staffing agency Randstad issued a report in August detailing the results of their ongoing surveys that are part of the Randstad Engagement Index. In this report, respondents show increased optimism and security in their jobs. Among the many data points I’m intrigued by the skills needed for continued success. Respondents rated “flexibility” andContinue reading “Adaptability & Flexibilty are Top Workplace Skills”
Thankful For Work?
Work conversations often fall into two categories – people complain about their job or complain that they don’t have a job. I suppose we get more sympathy when we complain. I wonder why we don’t talk more about the things that go well for us. Not boasting, just being thankful. As we approach the ThanksgivingContinue reading “Thankful For Work?”
A Crystal Ball – Skills for Now and the Future
A research report from Apollo Research Institute gives us a crystal ball for looking towards 2020. “Future Work Skills 2020” I like the way this report takes the major global trends and matches them with the skills workers need to thrive now and going forward. Its very useful for the many people needing to re-skill,Continue reading “A Crystal Ball – Skills for Now and the Future”
“Future-Proof” Employee
In IBM’s report from interviewing over 1700 CEOs around the world three main themes emerged for the most successful organizations. At the highest level, none are news to us. But going deeper there are some critical nuggets worth exploring. I’m focusing on “Build future-proof employees.” Because emerging capabilities are hard to define, hiring and equippingContinue reading ““Future-Proof” Employee”