Don’t confuse running for direction. Don’t confuse process for outcomes. I’ve noticed that a lot of professionals are running faster these days. But, they don’t seem to have a direction. Ask about this and the response is that they’ll get there faster. My silent thought is you don’t know where you’re going, no path will …
A competitive world has two possibilities for you. You can lose. Or, if you want to win, you can change. – Lester Therow, Management Professor I recently had a client come to me and say: “You do great business. You are very responsive. But …” The but was the client wanted a 20% discount …
What does it take to be employable over the long term? We know it’s important to develop marketable skills, which can be learned. What’s becoming increasingly important is what I call survival skills and attitudes, those that last for a lifetime. These personal life and work attitudes may be a sense of humor, adaptability, kindness, …
Our firm – Quality + Engineering – does risk management. I always seem to asking ‘what if?’ My wife thinks that I’m always looking at the down side and even I’m a little paranoid. I tell her I’m a realist and I’ve not medicated and I’ve never been clinically diagnosed as ‘paranoid.’ So, I put …
Many fresh MBAs want to go into management thinking that’s the way to power, perks, and bucks. I don’t want to seem like a Cassandra, but …. There are lots of changes occurring in management. This is great if you’ve got the right emotional maturity and ‘right stuff.’ There are other ways to getting these, …
Manage the opportunities change offers. – Advertisement Where do people go when they’re promoted? Is there even such a thing as a promotional ladder in your company? What do I mean? At a recent tradeshow, I was checking people’s cards and was stunned by the change in job descriptions. More job titles were team, …
A number of years ago, I got a degree in math and political science. Big problem. We were going through a recession and I couldn’t get a job. So, I went back to school and got a mechanical engineering degree. During my years as an engineer, I’ve done mechanical, electrical power, quality, software, energy, civil, …
Metaphors offer visuals, insights and lessons. Metaphors provide us a vision of what to expect from work. The career ladder is a great visual metaphor. A person started at the bottom and with the right effort climbed each rung. The career ladder told us what the organization, its work, and expectations were for each of us. …
Business is war! – Jack Tramiel, CEO The big change I’ve seen in the last few years is that more executives look at careers and jobs more as war these days. David D’Allessandro wrote a book Career Warfare: 10 Rules for Building a Successful Personal Brand and Fighting to Keep It! Mr. D’Allessandro was …
I like these rules of work and life because they are personal. Risks create opportunities in your life and work. Know your risk appetite and how you make decisions. Have a plan and direction before you start. Action spurs more activity from which you can learn. If the direction you’re taking doesn’t work for you, …