Becoming a “Celebrity” at Work? Take Lessons from Roger Federer
Getting discovered is pretty exciting. One day we’re plodding along doing good work and the next our boss is telling us we’re part of his/her succession plan. That often means accelerated development...
View ArticleGrumbling About Work? Get Over It!
It’s become a pastime, a bit of on-the-job sport. Grumbling starts out innocently but can become all-consuming, taking on many forms like: Harping about the boss’s annoying habits Whining about boring...
View ArticleSuperstar or Has Been? | Career Tips to Stay On Top
The rush is in the reaching. Ask any athlete whose career is on the rise. Every day is about putting it all out there for the team, the fans, and the games they love. Winning is the driver, the measure...
View ArticleCareer Disappointments Gnawing at You? Reset Expectations.
High hopes fall hard. We don’t always get what we want even when we: Work hard Plan ahead Get good grades or evaluations Know the right people Play by the rules That’s because careers are about...
View ArticleAfraid to Innovate or Don’t Know How? | Problem-solving Skills Pay
“Innovativeness” is one of those performance appraisal categories that often befuddle supervisors and employees. We often don’t know how the term actually applies to us. After all, we’re just doing...
View ArticleTurning Employees Around—What It Takes | Feedback Power
Under-performers are part of the landscape in any workplace. You know who they are and so does your boss. None of us is perfect. Without guidance, it’s easy to adopt behaviors and habits acceptable to...
View ArticleFirst Steps Are More About Your Stomach Than Your Feet | About Risk-Taking
I’m pretty sure you missed this post or forgot about it. It was my first, written two years ago, marking my foray into blogging. During my first month, I had 125 page views, now I get about 4,500 views...
View ArticleWhen the Job Fits, Wear It. | Discovering What Matters
Ask people what they hate about their jobs and they don’t hesitate to say things like: “The work is boring.” “It’s a dead end.” “My boss is useless.” Ask them what they like and they pause a bit,...
View ArticleIngredients for Becoming the Complete Executive–Fold Together and Serve
It’s hard to resist the opportunity to sample secret sauce ingredients for executive success. So, when invited, I was happy to taste the morsels in Karen Wright’s new book, The Complete Executive: The...
View Article5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Career
A job is a building block. A career is what we build. When starting out, we’re never quite sure what we’re actually building, if anything. We could end up with a useless pile of sticks or a really cool...
View Article5 Ways to Fight Off Self-Doubt | Dealing with Performance Dips
We can be our own worst enemy if we’re not careful. We’ll tell ourselves that we: don’t measure up never seem to get things right keep falling short of expectations are out of favor with the boss The...
View ArticleGetting Nowhere In a Hurry? Take a New Route. | Manage Your Day-to-Day
It’s wonderful when a book moves me to recalibrate my routine and reclaim my creative goals. That’s what happened when I was invited to read and blog about Manage Your Day-to-Day edited by Jocelyn K....
View ArticleThe Advantage of Having a Bad Boss | Turn Frustration into Career Growth
A bad boss is a career opportunity. No one promised you a great boss as a condition of employment. You get paid whether your boss is good or bad. Your job, then, is to figure out how to deal with …...
View ArticleThe Mystery of the Aha Moment and What Solving It Means to Your Career
First there was “aha,” a term used to express surprise, pleasure, or triumph. So sayeth The American Heritage Dictionary. Then there was the “aha moment,” a phrase meaning “a moment of sudden...
View ArticleGet Ahead by Getting Over Yourself | Perceptions Count
Self-awareness is your friend. Self-absorption your enemy. Being fully cognizant of your skills and behaviors as they play out in the workplace is empowering. Being excessively involved in your own...
View ArticleFinding Yourself in Your Work or Losing Yourself in It? | Pursuing Growth
Work has a habit of revealing a lot about you. Coworkers watch what you do and then draw conclusions like you: Really know how to get stuff done the right way (or not) Are someone who should be...
View ArticleHere One Day…Then? Accepting Self-confidence As a Work in Progress
We know it when we feel it. When it’s in our grip, we soar. When it leaves us in the lurch, we land hard. Self-confidence, by definition, is: Being sure of your own abilities Trusting those abilities...
View ArticleFire Up Your Courage. Build Your Self-confidence. | Refocused Thinking
It may be difficult but sticking your neck out is a necessity. To build a career, you have to: Apply for jobs and accept offers Change jobs to get better ones Develop new relationships or repair...
View ArticleLearn Something Unrelated. Kick Your Career Up a Notch.
Learning something new gets our attention. It reminds us we have skills to build on, dormant interests ready for the light, and talents (latent or otherwise) screaming for an outlet. It you want to...
View ArticleLosing Momentum? Get Someone in Your Corner. | Encouragement Power
Nothing beats a good streak. Things fall into place with ease. Good stuff gets done. Our confidence rises. Our skills deliver. Optimism soars. We’re on a roll. You know what they say about streaks?...
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