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?”

5 Actions for Career Management

“Career Management” makes some managers nervous; they might lose key staff or have to spend precious time training and mentoring people.  It raises expectations for many people that they will be promoted sooner, or that another round of lay-offs is coming. And for others, its just another bunch of buzzwords – a “key retention tool.”Continue reading “5 Actions for Career Management”

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”

Should You Make a Lateral Move?

Its not unusual for us to make horizontal career moves. They may be a good strategy for a variety of reasons, the best of which is to gain knowledge and skills that will lead to your upward goal.  If your company is in a slow growth mode and promotions are stagnant, then a lateral moveContinue reading “Should You Make a Lateral Move?”

Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?!

I recently met a woman who needed to advance her role in the organization.  She was very technically intelligent; a go-to person for her group. She was checking all the career development boxes and fully expected this to put her on the path to promotion. Yet,  no work opportunities were opening up for her.  SheContinue reading “Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?!”

Critical Skills for our Future

The more I learn, the more I need to learn.  And it doesn’t all take place in a formal educational setting.  As I watch our global economy and read Freidman’s latest book, “That Used To Be Us,”    it is clear that the Knowledge Sets are shifting.  Employers need people with the technical skills toContinue reading “Critical Skills for our Future”

Learn to Learn

When I keep doing what I always do, why do I think it will have a different result? This bit of insanity applies to  many aspects of our lives. But let’s look at just one. We do our jobs well and manage the constant winds of change. Like a sailing a boat we know howContinue reading “Learn to Learn”

21st Century Skills for Boomers

Employers are managing costs by hiring people as contingent, temporary or project-based work. So they look to people who have both a breadth and depth of skills. Boomers bring judgment and knowledge of how to get things done…especially when the computers are down.  But what Boomers may not have is the skills to be theContinue reading “21st Century Skills for Boomers”

More Boomers Starting Own Biz

Reuter’s Wealth Blogger, Mark Miller, shared the statistics of Entrepreneurs age 55 to 64 now represent a rising share of start-up activity, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, accounting for 23 percent of new entrepreneurs in 2010, up from 14.5 percent in 1996. As this age group experiences the early buyouts, early retirementContinue reading “More Boomers Starting Own Biz”

Change at Work – Bring a friend

Its  so much easier to do something different or scary if someone else does it too.  We used to dare each other to do something “dangerous.” But it wasn’t so bad if someone else did it first. Courage comes in many forms. Even as adults we often prefer to go somewhere new when we takeContinue reading “Change at Work – Bring a friend”