Renewal and Transformation
Every December brings with it a certain amount of joy, exuberance, and happiness. Every New Year brings with it a renewed sense of optimism, hopefulness and most likely a heightened sense of prosperity for the year ahead.
Retaining Leadership Humility: Being a Good Leader Doesn’t Require Being a Bad Person
The bottom line as a leader is that you need to make time to get up from your desk, leave your hubris in your office, do a walkabout and talk to your people.
How Asking Questions Can Help Your Career
Early in my career, I was an advisor to cabinet officers in two White House administrations. I then worked for several members of the U.S. Senate. Although this was my only experience in government work, it gave me a good taste for career management. After all, in those posts, I was a political appointee with virtually zero job security beyond my own competence. On any given day I could have been fired for wearing the wrong tie to work.
Body Language Tips for Phone Interviews
Mindless body language habits can sabotage you in any interview, even if it’s over the phone. Let your body be your ally. With intention (and a little practice wouldn’t hurt, either), you can use body language to your advantage even when no one is looking.
Information Governance Insights: FAQ: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
I’m going to limit this month’s Frequently Asked Questions article to address a one really big issue Information Governance Professionals come up against everywhere – organizations are installing software faster and, many times, unbeknownst to anyone in the Information Governance group. This is not a criticism of the Information Technology department. They have a job to do solving critical business issues for the organization and keeping up with the maintenance of everything they already have in place.
Compelling Captains Create Consistent Performance and Results
Every business needs a captain, a person that sets the stage for all actions and all relationships that take place within the work environment. If you, as a leader, do not set the stage by defining and aligning practices to clear performance standards and values expectations, people will be left to “figure it out on their own.” This leads to widely varying practices – not aligned, proven practices. That lack of clarity and alignment erodes consistent performance, service, and results.
Sometimes It’s Best to Wait for It
I smiled as I watched the dad with his two-your old son scurry to the hotel escalator. The dad held his son’s hand firmly and flew him a few inches off the ground to land squarely on the moving step. The boy giggled and wiggled as if he was on an amusement park ride. On the ride down, the little boy leaned forward in anticipation as if ready for take-off. I cringed with worry envisioning sharp escalator teeth against soft, baby skin. But his dad calmly said—“No, not yet. Wait for it.”
How to Write a Resume for a Human Resources Position
No one looks at more resumes than human resources specialists, so crafting or revamping their own resumes must be a breeze for these savvy professionals. Then again, it’s easy to feel pressured when instead of evaluating someone else’s background and potential you are trying to showcase your own.
Can You Listen Between the Lines?
Part of the problem with not being able to listen between the lines arises from our perception of what the person is saying or what they want. People tend to make assumptions based on their own experiences, current emotions, and state of mind. Unfortunately, these assumptions often tend to be incorrect. Recognizing the inaccuracy of our assumptions and challenging them by asking questions will greatly clarify what we are hearing and help to avoid misunderstandings.
Freddy and the Art of Follow-Through
Since joining a dog-fostering organization about a year ago, we’ve fostered and helped bring many dogs to a successful new start with a loving family. The dogs have all moved on to a wide variety of new settings, too. Some immediately become the presence in the home that adds a wonderful new companionship and sense of security.
Your Legacy!
Why do we still remember the fallen and all who served, 100 years after the guns fell silent? Indeed, why celebrate Independence Day on 4 July or even Martin Luther King Day?
The answer is simple. All of these events are comprised of people who have left a legacy for us to honor and remember. We value those who fought to defend our freedom and indeed fought for our independence. We value the people who have contributed so much to our world, that we are still the beneficiary today. Simply put, they left a legacy!
How To Get Out of Your Job Search Rut
Mid-level career professionals oftentimes get comfortable in their positions, however, when it comes to job searching, it can be even more of a challenge. I usually hear from my clients that there are things that they may not be good at, so they just stop doing them, or they became comfortable in their role, or a combination of those to continue challenging themselves as they did early on in their career. So, what are the things that mid-level career professionals should be spending time on in a job search and why? Let’s look at the strategies they oftentimes skip, miss, and even resist.
The U.S. Government as a Leading Venture Capitalist
The U.S. Government as a leading venture capitalist, wow, is this a joke? This sounds like industrial policy, public intervention, and “picking winners.” It is something that European and East Asian governments do, but not us, right? Think again. The U.S. government has actually played a major role in developing many innovations used by our technology giants to reach worldwide dominance.
Two Warning Lights that Indicate You are Headed in the Wrong Leadership Direction
Have you ever noticed the raised reflective pavement markers that reflect white light at night when you have your headlights on? As a transportation engineer, I see things on the road that many others may not. Some may not know that they reflect red if you are headed the wrong way. (Hopefully, you’ve never seen this in action!)
Gauging Your Organization’s Cultural Health
If you have never experienced successful culture change personally, as a team member in general or as a leader, you may not be prepared or know how to proactively manage your team’s culture. The culture of your team (or department or division or plant or region or whole company) is the engine that drives your team’s success – or its lack of success.
How to Write a Resume for a Civil Engineer Position
The public relies on civil engineers to ensure that shared structures and systems, from roads and airports to power generation and delivery, are efficient and safe. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for this essential profession is expected to grow by 11 percent by 2026, faster than the 8 percent growth rate projected for the field of engineering overall, and 7 percent job growth outlook for all occupations.
It’s About Time!
The first thing to consider is a change in mindset. Very little will change, if the mindset that has been driving the imbalance remains unchallenged.
How Modern Companies Accommodate Flexibility
In 2018, flexibility is king. If you want to attract and retain millennials (not to mention Gen Zers), companies need to readdress their office processes and performance management systems.