No promotions available you say? You’ve heard this before, right? “No promotions available.” You’ve been working as a manager, for example, for years but have experience, skills and expertise of a senior manager. Your large employer has been through a lot…
Diversity, diversity, diversity. When you say a word too many times, it starts to sound like an alien word. It loses its meaning in your head, doesn’t it? Does that ever happen with the word “diversity?” Do we use it…
This post is a follow-on to this article about detaching from the expectation that you can achieve every goal on your personal to-do list. There’s a danger in allowing your list of goals to grow, often based on external influences…
Work-life balance isn’t about doing everything well at once. It’s about making choices, and loving yourself despite C-minus performance in some categories. When managing a life, a career, and a household of any size, each one of us struggles to…
Rich Girl, Poor Girl, Competing on the Career Path This is a true story. One girl, whom we’ll call Rich Girl, was born to a 1%-er wealthy family. Another girl, whom we’ll call Poor Girl, was born to a family…
Yet many workers are confused about the rules of the game… When employees realize that the name of the game in career management is not ‘do your work well,’ it sometimes comes as a shock. The game is, rather, ‘constantly ensure…
There is a degree of posturing required to survive most roles within any career, from prime minister to newly-hired coffee runner. Posturing is about taking a stance that conveys a message, and then with a little extra effort, looking ultra-comfortable,…
I recently spoke with a software company’s top HR guy. He related the story of a candidate who, because of his own actions, precluded himself from being considered for any future jobs with the company. This is a story of…
Job Seekers – Don’t be Shy with Recruiters When talking to a recruiter, job seekers should not be shy about asking clarifying questions. Many job candidates are overly-deferential in their initial conversations with recruiters; that inclination can dilute the value of…
This article is Part II of “Incentives Gone Wild,” a story discussing the reality of incentives that hit too close to an individual’s pocketbook. When businesses and governments implement over-simplified incentive programs, people begin to see dollars within reach and…
Misguided Incentives Steal the Show This week we’ve learned of the Atlanta school system’s multi-teacher, multi-administrator, multi-school conspiracy to cheat in order to win funds for the school and for teacher bonuses. The dangerously short and direct tie from individual…
Everything I needed to know about the Petraeus/Broadwell/Allen/Kelley/Shirtless FBI Agent circle I learned when reading Dr. Louann Brizendine’s book series on on the science of male and female brains and the impact hormone cycles have on our behaviors and perceptions. In her…
