When I was 16, I wanted to be 18. At 18, I wanted to be 21. To me each age meant I was grown; what I never considered was the growth I needed between them — because maturing is a process that brings along two friends: responsibility and challenges. Every professional or personal challenge I… Continue Reading
Networking: Hate to miss it, but I really don’t want to go!
Networking is touted as the best resource for professional success and personal growth. Whether you are looking for a job, professional development, business opportunities or shared-interest socializing, networking is said to be the key. But like any other key, it doesn’t work unless it clicks. What clicks for an intellectually curious introvert like me are… Continue Reading
Bullies At Work: Exceeding Corporate Limits
When a friend asked me to write about workplace bullying, I remembered the first time I was bullied by a senior manager. She told me I was doing a great job but needed to learn how to “kiss her a#$” (her words) for a promotion. Her boldness took me off guard and I blurted, “that… Continue Reading
Career Bliss: Happily Ever Now What?
Trying to find the ideal job is like trying to find the ideal mate. Mr. Right may sound good on paper but off of it, his issues coupled with yours may overflow a newsstand. So what do you do? 1) Decide quickly based on the first few meetings that “he’s just not that into you”… Continue Reading
Exiting Gracefully: It’s Complicated!
Years ago, I was hired to replace a manager who was staying with the company but moving to another department. In my first meeting with the manager, she provided a synopsis of the 35-member team, identifying winners, troublemakers and the borderline losers (her words). I don’t know what part of the ego her labeling came… Continue Reading
Giving Advice: Come again when you can’t stay so long!
A friend was buying cigarettes and a stranger said, “The surgeon general said smoking can be hazardous to your health.” My friend responded, “Did they also tell you that #$!@ing with me can be hazardous to your health?” The stranger opted to move to another line. When my friend told me about this encounter I… Continue Reading
The Accidental Manager: In some train wrecks you may be the train!
When talking about workplace “traumas” from senior management to the front desk, a common theme is ineffective managers and why they exist. Frequent complaints center on promotions stemming from seniority only, office politics or some other ‘What Duh?’ advancement that is more mysterious than the Bermuda Triangle. When I hear managers refer to an employee… Continue Reading
Painfully Employed: They got it bad and that aint good
When I was 13, I heard my great aunt say that she purchased an expensive car because she hated her job and needed an incentive to stay. Years later, when I struggled with my own discontent and watched others struggles with theirs, her words resonated with me. I may have been gainfully employed at the… Continue Reading
Career Growing Pains: Some Grow UP and Some Grow Old
One definition of ‘challenge’ is a call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition. We hear a lot about challenges these days, especially in reference to the economy…”These are challenging times or Especially in these economically challenging times.” To adapt in “challenging” times it is critical to put the boxing gloves on and accept… Continue Reading
Final Blog in Alum Series: Earning Interest May Earn Donations?
My nephew called to tell me about his new car and I shared my first car experience at 16: I told him that during the first night I kept looking out the window to verify that it was real. He laughed and admitted that he had done the same thing. When we disconnected, I thought… Continue Reading