My dad was a carpenter in my home town. On my days off from school I’d tag along with him to his job sites. Every once in awhile he’d “go to coffee.” “Coffee” at the City Cafe was a weekday ritual for many business people in my small community. My dad, however, was an introvert… Continue reading Networking as a Tool for Innovation
In my opinion, and others would agree, trying to get a job solely by filling out applications is a waste of time. If you want to make a pivot in your career or move to a new company, at the very least, don’t spend all of your time looking at ads and filling out applications.… Continue reading Networking Your Way in to an Organization When You Don’t Know Anyone
I was at a bonfire last Friday night where I met some new people. As we were standing around stoking the fire and keeping our hands warm, the conversation turned to job search and networking. Everyone had a story about what worked, or didn’t, for them at some time in their careers. By the time… Continue reading Can I buy you a Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Clients often tell me they are terrible at self-promotion. But there’s another way of thinking about self-promotion that’s not the slimy, sucking up kind. Instead, I suggest developing a habit of giving genuine compliments as a way of building relationships. I have a team-building activity around the concept of emotional bank accounts. It’s based on… Continue reading Use Compliments as Positive Self Promotion
I recently had a client, a department manager, who presented a proposal to a panel of university professors. This panel had a reputation of being very difficult and grilling whoever came before them. She prepared for it as well as anyone could who knows they are going into the lion’s den. Sure enough, they found… Continue reading Using Presence to Claim Your Power
Leadership is a combination of many skills. A common thread in any definition of good leadership is that it’s about getting things done through other people. At its best, good leadership inspires cooperation and collaboration through effective interpersonal skills that let people know their contributions matter. Listening well is central to getting successful engagement. Listening… Continue reading Are You Listening, Really Listening?
When things are not going my way, I’m prone to blaming it on them (the proverbial “them”) . Whether it’s being late for work in the morning, the late payment on my Visa bill or not getting a promotion. Especially when it involves a change I didn’t ask for or doesn’t appear to be in my… Continue reading Quick and Easy Lemonade from Lemons
This car and driver represents how we are the drivers of our own careers. The driver in the “little red corvette” pays homage to Prince (I live in Minnesota and used this image in a program last week so his untimely death was on my mind). In my coaching I often hear employees searching for… Continue reading Leadership Roadmap – You’re in the Driver’s Seat
In the spring, when we see a new bud, we think it just appeared one day. In reality, it’s been forming for a long time. That’s the thing about new growth, it takes awhile to appear. Just like this blog, it’s been waiting to appear, and now it’s ready to sprout. This is my first… Continue reading New Growth
