Far too many professionals linger in stagnant roles or struggling firms long beyond the optimal expiration date of their involvement. Instead of seeking out new challenges that support learning and skills expansion, otherwise competent, motivated individuals tend to linger in bad situations hoping for circumstances to shift more to their liking. More often than not, they are disappointed.
While some people view an invitation to present to executives as a prison sentence (or worse), this truly can be a career enhancing opportunity. However, like any challenging situation, preparation and attitude are keys to success. Here are 7 ideas to help you ace your next (or first) presentation to the executives:
All over the U.S., there’s a fresh new crop of MBA candidates preparing to say goodbye to their classmates as they wrap up what will be for many, the final phase of their academic careers. A key question on their minds is, “What’s next?” Here are 10 key Do’s and Don’ts for the newly minted MBA:
To the extent that we struggle to see our own weaknesses, we are remarkably naïve and blind to our strengths. This gap in our own view-of-self is in my experience more detrimental to career success and personal-professional satisfaction than the issues surrounding our alleged weaknesses. Here are at least 4 barriers that get in the way of seeing our own strengths:
If your typical day resembles the one that most of us experience in the corporate environment, it’s a series of meetings interspersed with a series of transactional exchanges that might be better described as interruptions. There’s little of that elusive and precious asset called “quality time” on our calendars or in our days…and in reality, much of our daily lives are filled with what has been been described as “unproductive busyness. Here’s a reminder to create the downtime our brains and bodies need to recharge and place things in proper context.
There’s an interesting article in the May, 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review, entitled, “In Hiring, Algorithms Beat Instinct.” According to the authors, we would be better served by letting algorithms do the heavy lifting before inserting our own bias-filled and easily distracted selves into the hiring equation. Provocative, yes, but I’m not convinced that it’s time to defer judgment to a test instrument. Here’s why…
I’ve long believed that one of the core capabilities of successful senior leaders and individual contributors is their ability to cope with and leverage ambiguity as a tool to create. While many of us stop or even freeze when faced with unfamiliar situations, others recognize the opportunity to leverage uncertainty as a means to showcase our problem-solving and informal leadership capabilities while solving a vexing workplace challenge. Here are 5 key do’s and don’ts when faced with an ambiguous situation in the workplace:
When it comes to navigating across differences, managers tend not to have the conversation. We recruit diverse people into our organizations and expect that they too, will figure out the rules. But goodwill and positive intent alone is not sufficient for tapping the potential of your multicultural talent. Without a more nuanced understanding of the differences between people, as well as tools to bridge the communication gaps, managers will be at a loss to bridge the distance between themselves and those who think differently.
A typical day in most workplaces is one unending series of large and small distractions that combine to keep most of us from making much forward progress on our one or two real priorities that matter. Here are 5 radical and slightly irreverent ideas to help you find more time and focus on issues that matter:
While we often associate the concept of “power” in the workplace as something bestowed by title or gained and maintained through political gamesmanship, you neither require a promotion, nor do you need to plot and claw your way to the next level to grow your power. Here are 5 common sense and above board ideas to help you quickly grow your power in your workplace:
