Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor. — Denzel Washington Last month I wrote […]
Building Your Management Skills—Even Without Help from Your Company
The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. —Ray Kroc, Grinding It Out When I first started managing employees (in the early 90s), my two top responsibilities were identifying potential roadblocks that would affect the schedule and providing financial oversight so we met budgetary restrictions. My project management skills […]
Look Out, World! Generation Z Is Here!
Every generation brings something new to the workplace. —Kathryn Minshew Born in 1997, the youngest members of Generation Z have recently begun entering the workforce. Although we don’t know yet exactly how big that generation will be (demographers haven’t yet established its endpoint), odds are good that it will wind up being a pretty […]
Motivating Employees: Look Beyond Money
When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute. —Simon Sinek When you’re a manager, no matter what size your department is and how far removed you are from the CEO’s office, part of your job is to define the mission and goals of your […]
Need more time for strategic thinking? Learn effective delegation!
Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang, 3rd century BCE: Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I learn. Effective delegation can be one of the most difficult skills for managers to learn. On the typical promotion path, an individual contributor does such a great job that he or she is […]
The Fine Line between Micromanaging and Empowering
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” ~ Steve Jobs Managing employees can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your professional career. It’s awesome to see people who work for you exceed even […]
My New Year’s Wish for YOU: Make Mistakes!
Happy New Year, everyone! Borrowing the words of the author Neil Gaiman, I offer you this very sincere and most heartfelt wish for 2019: I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Now before you get annoyed at me, think about what that means. It’s great to strive to do your best, […]
Leading with Gratitude: No Longer just a Hippy-Dippy Theory
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up with more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. —Oprah Winfrey One might argue that of course Oprah feels grateful, because she has everything and is now the wealthiest […]
Val’s Holiday Survival Guide
The holidays stress people out so much. I suggest you keep it simple and try to have as much fun as you can. —Giada De Laurentiis Good advice Giada…. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate at this time of year (or if you celebrate none in particular), it’s hard not to get swept up in […]
Network Your Way to Your Next Opportunity
These days it seems that every book, blog, or lecture that has anything to do with business mentions the importance of networking. And for good reason: a good network can help people get better (and more interesting) projects, opportunities, and even promotions.
